Parva Sub Ingenti
by Quatermass
Summary: (Based on Anubis of the Highway Thieves' 'Of Jumping Dimensions and Drunken Marriages' challenge) They were sent to another world through the Veil to investigate for the Department of Mysteries. Unfortunately, Potter Luck ensures that Harry saved Queen Tyuule from a fate worse than death, long before the Gate appears. Can Harry, Hermione and Luna make a difference in this world?
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

So, here it is. My first published crossover with the anime series _GATE: Thus the JSDF Fought There_. While this isn't the first published crossover with the Potterverse, there are only two others. I have to admit, while Split-Girl's _In Which Harry Ditches Everybody! Welcome to Ancient Culture Chop-Suey_ was an inspiration for this story, I wanted to take this story in its own direction. It took a lot of consideration, as well as a LOT of discussion with Leaf Ranger and Arawn D Draven, the only two of my correspondents to have watched this series (and thank you very much for putting up with my questions!), before I decided on a direction for this story.

 _GATE_ , for those of you not in the know, was originally a novel series written by a former JSDF soldier. It was turned into a manga and an anime, and it was the latter that I am basing this story off for the most part, albeit with what elements I could get through research and asking Leaf Ranger and Arawn D Draven. The series basically is yet another story of the 'Another World' or 'Isekai' genre, where a mysterious gateway opens in Japan and disgorges an army that is composed of fantasy beings and what look like Roman soldiers. After beating back said forces, Japan eventually decides to send the JSDF, their military forces, through the Gate to find who was responsible.

Now, the series is noted for its rather strong Japanese nationalism, something I will be addressing in this story to some degree. But most of the story will be revolving around the changes, big and small, Harry will make to the story. Indeed, from the get-go, he makes a pretty big splash in that a certain character does not suffer their canon fate. Namely, Queen Tyuule of the Bunny Warriors. Her fate in canon is a rather sad and repulsive one, and while she is portrayed as something of a villain in the anime, you can understand why.

I also took a leaf out of Anubis of the Highway Thieves' 'Of Jumping Dimensions and Drunken Marriages' challenge, a bit like Blood Brandy's infamous Vegas Vacation challenge. Keep in mind, though, Harry and Tyuule's marriage WON'T mean instant love. It's more like an arranged marriage they have to get used to. If you don't like that story, then don't bother reading.

Incidentally, the title means 'the small under the huge', meaning weaker people protected by the stronger, which will inform Harry and Tyuule's mission later in the story.

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both Harry Potter and _GATE_.

Secondly, there will be heavy annotations, as is usual for my works. You have been warned.

Thirdly, this is an M-Rated work. There will be coarse language, violence, dark themes and sexual references. Again, you have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. Harry Potter and _GATE_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Rory will slice you up with that halberd of hers…


	2. Chapter 1: Lunacy, Liquor and

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **LUNACY, LIQUOR AND LAGOMORPHIC LADIES**

"I love the smell of Fiendfyre in the morning. Smells like… _victory_."

Hermione Granger glanced at the form of Luna Lovegood as she skipped alongside her, and grimaced. _Note to self_ , she thought. _Do not show Luna too many more films. She's getting ideas_. Then again, Hermione couldn't remember ever showing Luna _Apocalypse Now_. In fact, she thought Luna was more into science fiction and fantasy.

Not that much Fiendfyre, or indeed fire in general, had been used here on this battlefield. She was grateful for that. Getting caught up in a local conflict was bad enough, but she didn't think she wanted to smell roasted human flesh.

How did she get into this mess? Oh, right, that was why. She joined the Unspeakables. She decided she wanted to investigate the Veil when she, along with Luna and Harry, realised it was a portal to another world. And with their respective relationships with the Weasleys having gone somewhat sour due to various circumstances, they decided to go through it, regardless of whether or not it was a one-way trip.

And now, here they were, not exactly stranded in a world that was a hybrid of a European medieval fantasy world and the Roman Empire, but still, going back meant being ferried by Phoenix or House Elf, and their mission was mostly reconnaissance and exploration. Not to mention that they were to avoid getting involved.

Unfortunately, that plan sort of went out the window when she and Luna got separated from Harry, and they'd lost their original homing Portkeys. Yesterday afternoon, they had met a retreating Imperial convoy who were escorting the now-catatonic Prince Zorzal El Caesar (heir to the throne and all-round prick, apparently). They were able to get some information, about how a sorcerer had been captured and taken to their camp, only to free himself and save Tyuule, Queen of the Bunny Warriors, who had been captured and brought to the Imperial camp to negotiate the surrender of her people. Said sorcerer had then helped the Bunny Warriors turn the tide of their battle against Zorzal's forces, helped by the fact that Zorzal had been tortured into catatonia by dark magic.

The soldiers looked set to try their luck with Hermione and Luna, until their current travelling companion made herself known. And they clearly didn't want to evoke the wrath of said companion, even if she didn't look like she would be much against a group of enemies. Then again, looks could be deceiving.

Their travelling companion seemed to be a girl in her early teens, wearing a black, frilly dress trimmed in red, with a disturbingly high hemline. Hermione recalled that this seemed to be a Gothic Lolita style of dress. The girl had black hair, glossy like a raven's feathers, and crimson eyes. On top of her head was a bow that gave her a vaguely feline profile. Most extraordinary of all was the massive halberd she was wielding, too large and heavy for a child her apparent age to be wielding. She seemed more like a cosplayer at some sort of convention than anything even for an average fantasy world.

There was something vaguely feline about her, and not just with the bow that looked like cat ears. There was the same playful attitude, a mixture of simple childishness and a bloodthirstiness, a savagery that lay beneath the beauty. Hermione briefly recalled William Blake's poem _Tyger! Tyger!_ , and marvelled at the fearful symmetry here. She wondered how Crookshanks would deal with her, before wincing at the reminder of her faithful pet, beheaded and then having his head mailed to her with a note saying _You're Next, Mudblood_ by Theodore Nott a few months back. Another reason to leave, along with her cooling relationship with Ron.

In any case, their travelling companion, whom they had met after their first day in this world, was Rory Mercury. Despite her apparent age, she was actually over 900 years old, given immortality by the deity she was the Apostle of, the war god Emroy. She was also ridiculously strong, skilled, and could regenerate from pretty much any wound. Basically, she was an unstoppable bloodthirsty killing machine.

And Luna, of course, had promptly called Rory her new friend, much to Hermione's bemusement, and Rory's initial bemusement, followed by amusement. So now, they had a possibly psychotic, definitely dangerous, demigod tagging along. Hermione was admittedly worried, especially when Rory stated why she was accompanying them.

She had apparently been approached by a rival Apostle, Giselle, the herald of the local death god, impossibly called 'Hardy'. Luna had promptly asked whether there was another one called 'Laurel(1)'. In any case, Giselle had told Rory that a trio of wizards from another world had fallen through one of Hardy's lesser gateways, one of whom was carrying three relics Hardy had, on a whim, given to another trio of wizards, just to see what chaos would unfold.

Still, they had confirmation of something from Rory, good news. But they needed to find Harry first, and by the time they had thought to use a Patronus, the Patronus didn't go to Harry. This meant he was kipping in his expanded trunk. The Point Me spell worked fine, so he was still alive.

But the landscape they were walking through, towards one of the larger settlements of the Bunny Warriors, bore the scars of battle. Craters from magical explosions, blood and viscera, though the bodies proper seemed to have been dealt with. Vanished by magic, then?

Rory shivered, but not in fear. Instead, it seemed to be delight. "Oh, I should have been here. I felt their demises from so far away. It was so… _wonderful._ "

"Too much information," Luna remarked. And when Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw born and bred despite her eccentricities and wild imagination, thought that something was 'too much information', you know it disturbed her. Hermione knew what she meant. Rory acted as a conduit to Emroy, sending him the souls of those perishing in battle close to her. In the process, it acted almost like an aphrodisiac, according to the Apostle herself. "You need a hobby. I mean, aside from bloodshed, slaughter, and dressing like a Gothic Lolita."

Rory scowled. She had picked up English quite readily due to her demigod status, so they hadn't used a translation charm since yesterday. "The last time I had a hobby, which was rare coin collecting by the way, Giselle stole my collection on Hardy's orders and put them in a deep cave for me to retrieve, where Hardy'd be able to get me."

"Wow," Hermione said. "That's…petty. Doesn't she understand the concept of consent? That no means _no?_ "

Rory shrugged. "Consent is something too many mortals disregard, and some gods are no different. At least Emroy cares not from whence the blood flows." Rory grinned in her unnerving manner. "Only that there is blood, and why it is shed(2)."

"Your cleaning bill must be big," Luna remarked.

"Enchanted clothing," Rory said with a smile. "Regenerates damage, eventually, repels stains, and always smells like…well, whatever I'm in the mood for."

"Which appears to be citrus," Hermione said, sniffing. "Oranges?"

"Blood oranges," Rory and Luna said simultaneously, before high-fiving. Hermione merely facepalmed. Of _course_ it was.

The gate to the settlement, something of a large town, was guarded by a pair of sentries, both of whom were athletic, beautiful women, dressed in clothing that, while not skimpy per se, showed quite a bit of skin. However, they weren't human: a pair of rabbit-like ears poked through their hair, and fur covered much of their arms and legs. These, then, were the Bunny Warriors. They looked wary, and a little fatigued. One of them looked up as they approached. " _Drana'c cusauha lusehk_ ," Hermione heard her say, wincing that she didn't replace the translation charm since yesterday.

" _Ec dryd…ec dryd dra Ybucma uv Emroy, Rory Mercury?_ " the other sentry asked.

" _Ed ec!_ " the first sentry said, nodding her head. They looked wary of the newcomers, but there was also hope on their faces.

Rory approached them, and said, " _Re! E's lineuic, tu oui rybbah du ryja y haf Hume syka eh ouin lysb?_ "

The first sentry nodded once more. " _Oac, ehtaat, Myto Mercury. Ra nacliat Xiaah Tyuule eh ran desa uv haat vnus dryd jema Hume Zorzal. Fedruid res, uin pyddmac syo hud ryja paah fuh, yht ajah drah, ed fyc lmuca._ " She looked at Hermione and Luna, the latter of whom waved cheerfully, and asked, " _Yht fru yna draca yllusbyhoehk ouin yikicd bancuhyka?_ "

" _Drao yna vneahtc uv dra syka fru rambat oui. Drao ryja paah caynlrehk vun res. Ra kuac po dra hysa uv Harry Potter, tuac ra hud?_ "

" _Oac. Ev drao yna dnimo rec vneahtc, drah drao yna vneahtc uv uin baubma duu. Rufajan, Xiaah Tyuule nadenat fedr dra Ruhuinat Cunlanan Harry Potter vun dra hekrd. Drao fana...nydran tnihg._ "

Rory snickered to herself. "Oh dear," she said in English. "Your friend was rather busy, saving their queen, Tyuule. He's already being called an 'Honoured Sorcerer' by them for fighting for them, though apparently it was still a fairly close battle. Apparently they were last seen rather heavily drunk."

Hermione facepalmed once more. "Oh, Harry, what have you gotten yourself into now?"

"Probably someone's bed," Luna said cheerfully. "He's too pent up. About time he got laid."

Rory cackled, and Hermione growled, "Luna Lachesis Lovegood(3), this is serious."

"We haven't found _him_ yet, remember? We were looking for _Harry_."

"Who was last seen, heavily drunk, with the Queen of a warrior race. We're trying to explore the world beyond the Veil. I know complications are inevitable, especially where Harry is involved, but we need to keep them to a minimum." Though Hermione knew that she would probably end up causing more than a few waves here. Slavery, especially sex slavery, was ridiculously common in this world, according to Rory. House Elves in symbiosis with the magic of their employers was one thing. And some part of her wouldn't let that stand.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was the pain, like someone was taking the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, Basilisk venom and all, and using his brain as a scabbard. The second thing he noticed was the taste in his mouth, like he'd been forced to eat a Dungbomb and it went off in his mouth. The third thing he noticed was the pair of larger furry things wrapped around him. The fourth was that he could feel someone of the female persuasion pressing into his naked back, what had to be (thankfully) cloth-covered breasts pressing into his back. As he opened his eyes blearily (thankfully, his bedroom in the expanded trunk was dim enough so that it didn't hurt his currently very sensitive eyes), he realised that those last two things were connected, as he had a pair of furry arms wrapped around his torso, though the delicate and very feminine hands were not covered in fur.

And then, he saw something on a finger of one of said hands that sent a chill down his spine.

A ring. A very familiar ring.

Before he could process this, he felt his bedmate shift behind him, yawning gently, wriggling out from behind him. He twisted around to look at his bedmate. Morning amnesia and a hangover conspired to keep him from recognising her, at least immediately. Still, he stared at the woman as she moved what looked like a traffic cone out of the bed. Or whatever she was.

True, she had a shapely, athletic, and yet surprisingly buxom body, concealed by a shift with matching panties, or at least the medieval equivalent. Snow white hair framed pale features that looked to be someone in their twenties, while crimson eyes peered at him, a little blearily at first, but, thankfully, she didn't seem to object to being in his bed, especially if the rather gentle smile she favoured him with was any indication.

But she had fur, the same colour as her hair, covering part of her arms and legs. And protruding from her hair were a pair of long ears, like those of a rabbit. An albino rabbit woman, he realised.

After a moment's uncertainty, he said, "Uhhh, good morning?"

She winced, clutching her own head. "Not so loud. I didn't drink quite as much as you did, but I still have a hangover. Wait a moment…you left these out." She reached over to the bedside table, and plucked some familiar vials from it. She handed one over to Harry, and drank hers herself, before grimacing. "Ugh, it tastes like Ma Nuga excrement smells," she complained.

Harry drank his own, and grimaced in his own turn, though the headache and the nausea went away almost instantly. "If a Ma Nuga is your equivalent of a cow, then I agree. It does taste like cowpats would."

The rabbit woman nodded. "Still, better a hangover in freedom than suffering in slavery," she mused, before peering at him. "…You don't remember?"

"I remember a lot of drinking, we'd just fought what looked like Roman legionnaires…oh! Wait! You're Queen Tyuule of the Bunny Warriors!" Harry said, speaking his thoughts out loud. He then paled. "Shit…did we…"

"We only slept together in the most literal sense if that's what you're worried about," Tyuule said. "You were a perfect gentleman, even when drunk. More than many Humes I have met(4)."

Harry remembered something of last night. There had been a massive celebration about how they managed to win, albeit a hard-won victory, against the forces of the Saderan Empire. He'd gotten to talking with Tyuule as the drinks ran more and more. About the expectations foisted upon them, the sacrifices they had been forced to make. And then…a suggestion. An insane suggestion that they still accepted.

Harry realised he could feel metal on his own ring finger. He stared at it. The Potter marriage ring. Used to officially bind husband and wife in a magical marriage. They were actually rarely used for a few reasons: the binding was for life, which was potentially dangerous. However, to counter that, they wouldn't actually allow any magical binding to take place without some sort of compatibility involved.

"…We're married?" Harry asked, in shock.

She had the decency to look sheepish. "Yes. You are now my official consort..."

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, at least it isn't Vegas. And at least Tyuule hasn't been basically made Zorzal's sex slave. And yes, I used Al Bhed for the Bunny Warriors' language.**

 **1\. If you haven't heard of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, shame on you.**

 **2\. I wouldn't be surprised if Emroy was basically Khorne from** ** _Warhammer_** **.**

 **3\. This version of Luna's full name was taken from Silently Watches'** ** _Faery Heroes_** **.**

 **4\. I actually chose to use the term 'Hume' here as a bit of a nod to** ** _Final Fantasy XII_** **. I mean, after all, the Bunny Warriors look a bit like a ripoff of the Viera, and 'Humes' is the term used for humans in that game, so…why not?**


	3. Chapter 2: The Queen, The Wizard, and

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **THE QUEEN, THE WIZARD, AND THE APOSTLE**

"…So, let me get this straight," Harry said. He was trying to keep a hold on his temper, trying to keep calm. Only the fact that the Potter marriage ring would not have allowed him to be bound to this woman unless there was enough compatibility and the fact that Tyuule looked rather embarrassed (and a little annoyed as well) helped. "Last night, while we were getting plastered, we got to talking. Then, while you were lamenting the lack of mages amongst your people and wondering whether I would stay to help…I made a comment about marriage. And things escalated from there."

Tyuule nodded, and Harry groaned, putting his face in his hands. Eventually, he said, "Don't get me wrong, I'm more angry about this because we've only known each other for a couple of days, and, well, we did this while drunk. When we first met, you were on the verge of giving yourself up to save your people, even if that bastard was going to renege on the deal. That takes guts. I've done something like that before." Shaking his head, he turned back to Tyuule. "So…this is one of those things that is unbreakable and binding magically. Trying to break it will have consequences for us both. I'm sorry, I really am."

Tyuule shook her head. "No, I should apologise. I was less drunk than you, and theoretically capable of making a better decision. But I was following a selfish desire to keep a powerful mage within this tribe, to help defend us, despite the fact that I owed you a very deep debt. Our people do not have marriage as you Humes or other peoples have, but you spoke of your prior relationships ending badly…"

"…So we basically both fucked up," Harry said, grateful that the Potter marriage rings included some sort of translation charm. "Well, as long as we're not going to kill each other…do you want to talk it out? Preferably while sober?"

"Indeed." She looked at Harry, before her features softened. "Don't misunderstand me, your valour and prowess was without reproach, and what I saw of your character before we got drunk…it's just that some amongst my people may not take our bond the right way. I will keep this quiet. I will still tell them that I have taken you as a consort, just not about the binding. I promise you, Honoured Sorcerer, I will find a way to repay my debt to you, to say nothing of that my people owe you."

Harry sighed quietly. Did he seriously just acquire another appellation? "Tyuule…do you mind if I call you that instead of Your Majesty or anything like that?"

"In private and amongst trusted people, you may, Honoured Sorcerer. In public, refer to me as Lady Tyuule. Given your help, that will more than suffice."

"Okay, thanks. Tyuule…I don't like being called Honoured Sorcerer. Just call me Harry, in public or private."

Tyuule actually chuckled. "Perhaps, but…my people will be calling you that for a long time yet, Harry. You'd best get used to it."

"Anyway, about debts…the only one I'd want repaid is if you knew anything about the whereabouts of someone close to me," Harry said. "I don't think I talked about him last night."

"You mentioned him, and that he may be in this world…but not his name. However, you indicated that magic was hidden on your world, whereas here, it is, if not commonplace, then known. However, I will use our resources and contacts. We are on good terms with some of the Saderan Empire's vassal states, particularly Italica and the Formal Clan…"

There was a sudden knock on the door. "Lady Tyuule? Are you in there?" came a female voice.

"…Yes! Delilah, neither of us are decent yet, but the bed was lovely."

"…Understood."

"The bed was what?" Harry asked as he hurriedly pulled on a shirt and trousers, deciding he would bathe later.

Tyuule went over to her own clothes, giving Harry a rather good look at her shapely rear, and the white tuft of her tail behind it. "A codephrase. If I had said 'the bed was uncomfortable', it meant I was under duress. However, this means I am unharmed and safe."

Harry turned away as she dressed, before finally, Tyuule joined him by his side, her clothes still a bit revealing, but somewhat regal. "You may enter, Delilah," she said. A brown-haired Bunny Warrior in rather skimpy combat clothes appeared, and Harry remembered her from last night. During combat, she was serious as hell, but during the revels afterwards, she was actually very nice.

Delilah wasn't alone, though. Three others accompanied her, two of whom were very familiar to Harry: the blonde, dotty features of Luna Lovegood, and the bushy-haired Hermione Granger, the latter of whom was looking both annoyed and relieved. The third appeared to be a dark-haired girl in her early teens, dressed as a Gothic Lolita, and wielding an oversized halberd. She sniffed the air, and pouted. "Awww, they didn't do it. All I can smell is halitosis and alcohol," she said in a disappointed tone. Her voice strangely seemed older, a bit more deep and mature than her small frame would suggest, like a woman in her twenties rather than a young teenager.

"Lady Mercury, this is an unexpected pleasure," Tyuule said, looking a bit off-balance. Clearly, this girl was someone, surprisingly, that Tyuule respected.

"Greetings, Queen Tyuule of the Bunny Warriors," the girl said, bowing briefly. "I am sure Emroy is pleased at the amount of Imperials you sent to him, and I hope those of your people who perished will know happiness with him. As an Apostle of Emroy, I am technically neutral in such matters as conflicts between kingdoms…but on a personal level, I am glad that Zorzal did not take you as his prize. These two are friends of this young man, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood."

"Indeed. Well met, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood," Tyuule said, nodding. "I owe your friend a great debt. Harry, do you mind if I speak to Delilah for a moment alone?"

"Sure," Harry said, and the two Bunny Warriors left the room, closing the door behind them…

* * *

Tyuule thanked the various gods that Delilah at least didn't jump to the wrong conclusion. The brunette Bunny Warrior frowned. "So, you sought to bind him to us through marriage, and there was a magical bond that is now irrevocable? I can understand your reasons, Lady Tyuule, even if there are many who would think he ensorcelled you."

"But you don't think he did?"

"I was there when you wed him. No, you both were drunk and being impulsive. I did not stop you because…you looked _happy_ , Lady Tyuule, more than you ever have since ascending to become our ruler. This Hume sorcerer and yourself had already hit it off, despite your short acquaintance. Still, your idea to conceal this bond is a sound one, for now. Some may think that he made this bond with you without your consent, that he may have been a plant from one of the Hume kingdoms or states to gain control of us. Not all of us look upon Count Colt Formal favourably, after all, not to mention our other allies."

Tyuule nodded, crossing her arms under her bust, a pensive look coming over her face. "I know. Delilah…I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't come. Zorzal was telling me to surrender myself, and you would be spared…but Harry claims that Zorzal intended to renege on the deal anyway and claim that I sold you out."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Delilah said. "Zorzal El Caesar is already infamous for not keeping his word. Such twisted stratagems would not be beyond him. In doing this, he would prevent any survivors who escaped death or slavery from uniting under your name, instead becoming your most hated enemies. Count Formal would probably be our best chance of refuge, and even then, we would have to act, overtly at least, as his servants, as Mamina does as our agent there. Do you think there will be any reprisals from the Emperor?"

"Possibly, but the humiliation of his son and what will be doubtless reports of Harry will give him pause for thought. Molt Sol Augustus is a cruel and brutal man like his son, but unlike his son, he knows restraint and pragmatism. It may be that he decides to treat with us, establish peace until he believes we are vulnerable once more," Tyuule said. "While we have fought against him over the past few years, he has never quite managed to conquer or vanquish us, and sooner rather than later, he would have to cut his losses, lest he weaken his forces to the point where his vassals could possibly threaten him. I don't expect him to keep any peace treaty permanently, just keep it long enough for us to recover, and we aren't intending to conquer their Empire in any case. They have more to worry about from the Haryo and their activities."

"We nearly lost that last battle."

"Yes. In fact, if it weren't for Harry, we would have been done for. I very nearly gave in to Zorzal's offer for that reason. And we can't be wholly reliant on his magic either, or that of his friends. We need more than one trump card, lest our people end up slaughtered and subjugated like Zorzal intended."

"…For now, we should enjoy what time it has bought us," Delilah said, before she smiled slightly. "Though I have to say, you have good taste. He's rather scrawny for a Hume, but handsome too."

"Well, if the bond allows us to, I'd be willing to share," Tyuule said with a smile of her own. "If his offspring are able to wield magic, then it may help us gain an advantage…"

* * *

"Stop sitting on my lap and wriggling like that."

Rory Mercury pouted. "I'm 958 years old, you know."

Harry glared back, before using a Levitation Charm to gently take her off his lap, and placing her next to him. "And you still look like you're way too young. I don't mind having a little sister…big sister…whatever. But we are setting boundaries. I don't care if you're a demigod. The first rule is no means no. I'm not averse to hugs, though."

"…You know, in all my centuries of being Apostle to Emroy, I have never been spoken to like that before," Rory said, her tone dangerous. She then tilted her head, and smirked. "It's kind of interesting." She then indicated Hermione, who was trying to calm herself after hearing what Harry had to say, taking deep, regular breaths. "Is she going to be all right?"

"Yes. I hope," Harry added, a little uncertainly. "I have a tendency to end up in situations like these. My luck's pretty bipolar."

"I'm all right. I just needed a moment to process this and calm down," the bushy-haired woman said. "If we hadn't decided to just be friends, though, we would be having stronger words, Harry."

"Oh, Bunny Warriors are very amenable to polyamory," Rory said offhandedly. "And given how rare mages are amongst their kind, maybe they'll tie him down, feed him an aphrodisiac, and they'll be at it like…"

"Rabbits?" Luna asked with an impish smile.

"You said it, not me."

"Not helping, Luna," Harry muttered.

Hermione shook her head, as if to clear the confusion from it by physical action. "Okay, I'm feeling a little less inclined to berate you, Harry. Though using the Cruciatus Curse to torture the heir to the throne into a catatonia won't end well."

"Hermione…remember how Malfoy used to be, before what was supposed to be our seventh year? Before he got a clue? Zorzal was even worse. He intended to force Tyuule to surrender to become his fucktoy, and then go back on his word by slaughtering and enslaving these people instead of sparing them. And he would have told them that their queen would have sold them out to save her own hide. So I just did to him what the Lestranges did to the Longbottoms…only he deserved it. If I killed him, there definitely would have been reprisals."

"And how are you going to protect these people?"

"The Fidelius. I can make Tyuule or one of her lieutenants the Secret Keeper. It'd be a chore telling her people the secret, but if it helps…"

"Okay, so you did think of that," Hermione said.

"The Bunny Warriors are nomadic to a degree," Rory said. "Settlements like these aren't always where they live. Still, concealing this settlement should help. I guess Hermione was right about your 'saving people thing', Harry."

"And that reminds me," Harry said, looking at Rory. "You claim to be an Apostle or something for a god."

"I don't claim to be an Apostle. I am. Speaking of gods…" Her face became rather solemn. "You have some artifacts I'm curious about. May I?"

On Harry's look, Luna said, "She means the Hallows. Apparently the local death god, Hardy, created them and gave them to the Peverells back home."

Harry gingerly fished them out from his Mokeskin pouch, and made to hand them to Rory, who recoiled. "No! No, I don't want to touch them. I'm just…curious."

"Hardy has…a rather extreme fixation on Rory," Hermione said.

"Yes. She's apparently a misandrist lesbian who has a thing for Rory," Luna said.

"…So is she a paedophile or something?" Harry asked flatly as he put the Hallows away.

"Whatever she is, I don't want her anywhere near me," Rory said with a shiver. "The chthonic realms are her demesne." On Harry's look, she clarified, "Underground."

"…She doesn't know how to take no for an answer, does she?" Harry snarked. He looked at Rory, and gently hugged her with an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, if I can help it, I won't let her anywhere near you."

Rory stiffened briefly with the arm around her shoulder, before she relaxed. "You really mean that, don't you? Even though I'm far stronger and more durable than you. You'd fight Hardy for me?"

"…Maybe. Depends on what you're like."

Hermione shot him a look. "She's a bloodthirsty, psychotic killer who is an agent of this world's god of war, darkness, and madness. But…she's been of a lot of help to us, and what's more…she has information we want. Harry…she knows where Sirius is."

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Dun dun DUNNN!**

 **Now, if Tyuule and Delilah do seem OOC, keep in mind that this is set about three years prior to the Gate opening in Japan. Tyuule hasn't gone through three years of being Zorzal's sex slave, and I tried to give Delilah a formal, elegant nature close to that when she was going on her assassination mission in the second half of the series. Because Tyuule didn't have to give herself up to Zorzal, their relationship will still be good.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: Sirius Business

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **SIRIUS BUSINESS**

Having finished their own discussion, Tyuule and Delilah walked in to find Harry staring at Rory Mercury with an intense expression. "What? You know where he is?"

"I happened to run across a wizard calling himself Sirius Black a few years back," Rory said with a smile. "You see, I was investigating bandits preying on the outskirts of Dark Elf territory when I met him. I generally don't go into Dark Elf territory. They worship Hardy, you see, and Giselle, her Apostle, is known to frequent the area. However, I met Sirius and his paramour, a Dark Elf by the name of Yao Ha Dushi, while chasing down a rather fleet-footed deserter from the Imperial army with a taste for rape."

"I know that name," Delilah said. "Yao is a noted warrior of the Dark Elves, though she is reputed for having bad luck when it comes to suitors, and indeed bad luck in general."

"Indeed. I actually got to talking to them, and Sirius joked that he'd used up all his bad luck, what with being framed, imprisoned in a place called Azkaban, and then being stranded in this world," Rory said. "He spoke of his godson quite a bit, actually, worried that he would fall to some warlock called Voldemort. So imagine my surprise when these two fall into my lap. I considered bringing them to him, but they made things clear that finding Harry, in case he got into trouble, was a priority. I think Hardy deliberately split them up. She's known for having whims that play merry havoc with mortal designs."

"If so, then Hardy brought us salvation, even if it was an incidental product of her whim," Tyuule said. "However, for now, I can't let you leave this place, Harry, if only because I want to be sure our position here is secure. Perhaps your godfather can come here? Is he of good character?"

"He's a lecherous old dog," Harry said, a little annoyed at Tyuule's proclamation, though he could understand it. "But his heart's in the right place. I could send a Patronus, maybe. Would Yao know where to come?"

"While we generally do not see Dark Elves here, she would know where to come," Tyuule said. "Dark Elves generally keep to themselves, and many fear them for being followers of Hardy."

"But you're fine with her coming here?"

"As long as she doesn't cause trouble."

"Before we set up the Fidelius," Hermione declared, "I think we should see if we could bring in wards."

"I'll stay for a few days until you consolidate your position, then," Rory said.

"We are grateful to you, Lady Mercury," Tyuule said, bowing, as did Delilah.

* * *

They had sent off the Patronus, and both Harry and Tyuule took the time to bathe before dressing properly, with Tyuule now dressed in regal robes. As Harry accompanied Tyuule on a tour of the settlement, Hermione and Luna in tow, and Delilah escorting them, he saw Rory stopping and talking to some nearby children, who seemed pleased to meet her. The settlement, a semi-permanent city or large town of sorts, seemed to have vaguely Asiatic architecture, though Hermione thought that many of the clothes reminded her vaguely of the natives of the Americas as well, mixed in with more Asian and European influences.

Harry asked, "So, what exactly is an Apostle? I mean, the word has a different meaning back home."

"An Apostle is a person chosen by one of our gods to act as a herald and proxy. They have a duty of a thousand years, before they shed their physical form for a spiritual one," Tyuule explained. "They then can either become an aspect of the deity they serve, or else become a deity of an unclaimed patronage. Most deities were, indeed, mortals once. While they gain different powers and skills depending on their patron deity, they are all immortal and possess superhuman strength and speed, as well as the ability to speak and understand any language on our world."

"And there are many actual gods here?" Harry asked.

"Yes, actual gods," Hermione said. "Emroy and Hardy are only two of them. There is Deldout, the god of oaths, Parapan, the god of vengeance, Elange and Ral, the deities of studying and knowledge…"

"So, a lot of them," Harry said. "And they actually exist. And Hardy is a bitch."

"It's unwise to slander her name, Harry, as mercurial as she can be," Delilah said. "The gods have real power in this world."

"They seem to trust Rory," Harry said, glancing back as Rory continued to talk to the children, before waving them goodbye and catching up to them.

"Lady Mercury is feared by many and with good reason. In many circles, she is known as 'Rory the Reaper'. She is literally unstoppable in battle, with only a fellow Apostle being able to match her in combat. However, she is known to be friendly towards children and families, and so is a beloved herald, despite her patron deity's responsibilities."

"Death and war and bloodshed are as much a part of life as peace, love and compassion," Rory said. "To Emroy, to kill is not a sin. Rather, it is what motivates one to kill, whether it be done out of righteousness or selfishness or malice. Do you feel guilt for the deaths you caused, Harry?"

Harry frowned, thinking about his answer. "Do you mean during the last battle? Not exactly. I don't think all of them deserved to die, true…but they were here to murder these people or take them as slaves. Dumbledore would think I was going dark, that I needed to forgive them…but I saw what was in Zorzal's mind. His mind was a cesspit, and if it weren't for the repercussions, I would have killed him without hesitation."

"And the fact that they are almost entirely hot rabbit women didn't enter into it?" Luna asked wryly.

"I don't think anyone deserves to be taken in as a sex slave," Harry said, shooting Luna a look. "And Zorzal was a sadist. Seriously, part of the reason I drank so much last night was to try and erase what I saw in that head of his. He'd fit in with the Death Eaters if he was a wizard."

"That bad?" Hermione asked.

"Worse."

Hermione nodded, grimacing at the thought. She looked around the area. "You know, something's been bothering me. The Saderan Empire is like the Roman Empire, especially where the society and armour is concerned. But Rory dresses like a Gothic Lolita, a village we saw seemed to be in medieval times, and yet, we saw a manor house with what looked like maids from Victorian times."

"That's probably the Gate's influence," Rory said. "Every so often, a Gate opens on Alnus Hill, a sacred place to all deities of Falmart, this land. The Gate always leads to another world. It may have connected to your world before. Though it may be that my attire entered the dreams of your world's tailors through memetic resonance."

"…That makes a scary amount of sense…" Hermione mused, before her eyes widened. "Legio IX Hispana!"

"…Gesundheit?" Harry asked.

"No, no, the infamous lost legion of the Roman Army!" Hermione snapped. "The Ninth Legion disappeared from historical records sometime between 120 AD and 200 AD. Maybe they founded the Saderan Empire, or at least gave it its Roman elements, after going through a Gate(1). Some of what they spoke did sound like mangled Latin, albeit after centuries of drift." She then frowned. "Then again, some of the mangled Latin we use for spells…"

Suddenly, one of the Bunny Warriors jogged up, and knelt in front of Tyuule. "Your Majesty, a Dark Elf and a Hume have arrived! The Hume claims to know the Honoured Sorcerer, and the Dark Elf claims to be Yao Ha Dushi."

Tyuule, after a moment, said, "The Hume, is his name Sirius Black?"

"So he claims. He and Yao appeared suddenly out of thin air, with a noise like the cracking of a whip," the Bunny Warrior said.

"Apparition," Luna explained. "Magical teleportation."

"…Then let us see whether they truly are who they claim to be. Come," Tyuule said. She strode ahead of them, and Harry and the others had to jog to keep up.

They soon reached the gate to the settlement, and found a pair of people waiting. One was a woman, apparently in her twenties or thirties, with dark skin, silvery hair, and golden eyes. Her pointed ears betrayed her as a Dark Elf, and she was dressed in clothing that, while functional, nonetheless looked only a little less skimpy than the fighting clothes of the Bunny Warriors, Harry noted.

The other, however, was very much a familiar sight to Harry. Sure, he had a few more streaks of grey in his hair and beard, but he still had the same grey eyes. In fact, he looked certainly less haggard than he had before. When he saw Harry and the others, his eyes widened. "Harry…" he whispered.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled.

Tyuule met the gaze of the sentries keeping an eye on the pair, and gestured. The sentries promptly waved the pair through. Sirius dashed over, and embraced Harry. "Harry…you're here…you're here…"

* * *

Having reconvened in a nearby building, Tyuule watched the reunion between Harry and his godfather, Hermione also joining in, with some admittedly mixed feelings. True, she was happy that the pair had been reunited, but it also only served to remind her of her own mother, Queen Jote(2). Jote, who died after a long sickness last year, only, there was suspicion that someone, an Imperial agent, had slipped poison to her somehow. And had left her with the burden of the duty of being the Queen of the Bunny Warriors.

If she had been poisoned, it was understandable why. Jote was one of the best leaders the Bunny Warriors had had, in both peace and war. Tyuule, while not an incompetent leader or warrior (just before she was captured, she took down a score of Imperials who had managed to surround her), did not possess her mother's genius at strategy and tactics. So if the Imperials were involved, it was a good ploy, even if it was a truly dark form of treachery. It meant that, under Tyuule's leadership, their tribe had been weakened.

Tyuule missed her mother dearly. It was part of the reason that she felt rather jealous of Harry, to be honest. He got a chance to be reunited with his godfather. Then, she felt herself stifling that envy. She remembered the conversation she had with Harry last night, over drinks. About how his parents and many of his friends died. How other friends, his relationship had soured. How he hadn't even been allowed to see his godson because his guardian had blamed Harry for the deaths of his godson's parents, hurtful words that couldn't be taken back. How a girl who had fallen for him couldn't quite understand the difference between the Boy Who Lived and Harry Potter, and things went badly.

His life, then, was one of hardships. And while life as a member of the Bunny Warrior tribe was hard, even for royalty, it wasn't as bad as Harry's childhood had been, at least not until the Empire began making a more concerted effort to conquer them. Harry hadn't even made friends until he was eleven, and sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs wasn't an experience Tyuule wanted to experience. Not to mention he had a rather persistent warlock coming after him.

Yao Ha Dushi, who was standing nearby, watching as Harry, Sirius and Hermione conversed, remarked, "He spoke so much of his godson. He never thought he would get to see him again. So when we saw the Patronus, he wasted no time in Apparating here. Though I warn you in advance, Your Majesty, should you ever have need to Apparate with any of these mages, it's an unpleasant experience."

Tyuule grimaced, remembering the sensation of what felt like being squeezed through a pipe when she was rescued by Harry. "I experienced it when he saved me. But how did he know to Apparate here?"

"He used mind-reading magic, Legilimency," Yao said. "I have been here a few times before during my lifetime, as an emissary of my people, so he was able to call upon the location from my memory."

"A dangerous ability, Legilimency," Delilah said. "Still, it has potential."

"It's just one of many abilities Sirius has," Yao said with a fleeting smirk, before she turned back to Tyuule. "You'll forgive me if I do not tell you all of them, Your Majesty. While we are not enemies, we are not allies either. And besides, it seems like you have your own mage. Your sentries told me of how an Honoured Sorcerer saved you and helped you beat back the forces of Zorzal El Caesar. Sirius spoke to me of Harry's potential, but I guess you saw it firsthand."

"Our victory was still hard-won," Tyuule said, morosely.

"Which only tells to how many Imperials they had here. Your warriors outmatch them in terms of sheer skill."

"That, and the dirty tactics they used. It's one thing to be a pragmatist in combat when lives are on the line," Tyuule said, "but it's another to use deception during negotiations, even if it was a leonine contract."

"Honour means little to the Saderan Empire, we know this even in our own settlements," Yao said. "The Emperor is a tyrant. His eldest son is a sadist. His second son is a schemer, though not as bad as his brother or father. And his eldest daughter is naïve, playing at soldiers and believing her father's doctrine has the best intentions. Do you think Molt Sol Augustus will leave your people alone?"

"Hopefully, for now," Tyuule said. "I'd be a fool to believe that he and his peons have been deterred for good, but perhaps he will concentrate more on weaker opponents for the time being. Of course, given what happened to his son, I could be wrong. He may seek revenge immediately. Still, we have strategies in place for that already…"

* * *

Sirius put his face in his hands. "…Moony…Dora…dammit. And Andy won't let you see Teddy…what's wrong with her?"

"We just started having an argument about how to raise Teddy, and she badmouthed Remus. I know Remus ran out on Tonks, but…I stood up for him, and, well, it escalated from there. She accused me of getting her husband, her daughter and Remus killed by not doing anything sooner, and, well, I asked her whether I should have given myself up to die. She told me yes…and the thing is, when I stormed out, telling her that she should have died with her husband, she was trying to take it back…but…she _hurt_ me, Padfoot. She didn't want me to be Teddy's godfather because she thought, even with Voldemort dead, I'd do something that would get him killed. Later, when I tried to contact her to try and reconcile, she just lost her temper again, and compared me to you, running away from me and leaving me with Hagrid to track down Wormtail. She told me not to show my face. Hell, I'm on better terms with Molly than I am with your cousin, Padfoot. Even after my friendship with Ron and Ginny fell through, Molly was supportive. Hell, without her, I wouldn't have followed Hermione and Luna into the Unspeakables. Even Ron and Ginny aren't on as bad terms with us."

"Merlin, Harry…"

"It only goes to show, life's never like a fairytale, even amongst wizards," Hermione said, more than a little bitterly. "My parents won't talk to me, Ron wanted me to be a housewife…"

"So, you and Harry…?"

"We tried before coming here," Harry said quickly. "We decided to keep it at the 'best friends' level. Hermione's more like my big sister."

Hermione nodded. They had ended their fling on amicable terms, thankfully. "We don't have much left back home. That's why we decided on coming here. Harry was hoping that he could find you. Luna and I were curious to see what kind of world was beyond the Veil. Soon after arriving, we found that we can still call House Elves and Fawkes across. For now, we're just using them to get supplies."

"And you didn't send them to get me because…?" Harry asked.

"Think about it. If you were in the middle of a battle, which you were at one point, Winky could have died, and Fawkes would have gone through a premature Burning Day. By the time we thought to send you a Patronus, you must've been in your expanded trunk," Hermione explained a little irritably. "Besides, we were more than a little disoriented, panicking over your absence, and we were distracted when we met Rory."

"Well, she's a lot like Bella if she was, well, not evil. She's a bloodthirsty brat, 900 years or not, but her heart's in the right place." He shook his head. "Still…I'm glad you're here, Harry, even if it's not been under the best of circumstances. It's good to see you."

"And it's good to see you too, Sirius," Harry said. "It's good to see you too…"

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, we've had a heartwarming reunion. Next chapter, Molt's response.**

 **1\. I can't remember whether I've read this in another fanfic before I wrote this theory, but I did read, after writing this chapter, the same theory posited in** ** _The God of Cookery_** **by havok038.**

 **2\. This was the name of the Viera leader (and Fran's sister) from** ** _Final Fantasy XII_** **. I thought I'd use that for the name of Tyuule's mother.**


	5. Chapter 4: Envoy from the Emperor

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **ENVOY FROM THE EMPEROR**

Molt Sol Augustus, Emperor of the Saderan Empire, was furious. Indeed, upon seeing his eldest son unconscious thanks to dark magic, his first impulse was to call upon every soldier he could muster to wipe out those long-eared pests for once and for all. But Molt Sol Augustus didn't stay on the throne without learning temperance. This ongoing war against the Bunny Warriors had cost him many of his soldiers already, especially now that Zorzal, in not listening to the more seasoned officers under him, had spent more of them in a war of attrition. If he had succeeded anyway, Molt would have applauded him, but in the event of failure…well, the boy would have been disgraced, and his claim to the throne potentially pushed back. And he had plenty of heirs in any case, even if he had been killed.

So, instead, he listened carefully to the reports given by the officers, noting which officers played up Zorzal's abilities, and which ones didn't. Molt may order the deaths of his soldiers against hopeless odds, true, but he would do it for a reason other than just glory or his own hedonism. If it served his purpose, then he would send them to Emroy gladly. And he preferred officers who, while they showed due deference, could at least show some honesty rather than underplaying and overplaying things all for the sake of sycophancy.

It took something of an effort to stay calm and consider the matter objectively. This new mage, using magic not known to any known school of magic in this world, was concerning. So too was the report of a couple of other mages they had encountered while withdrawing, mages who had fallen into the company of Rory Mercury, that damnable Apostle who refused to show any allegiance to his Empire, despite the fact that they delivered Emroy more souls than any other power. Not only that, but when his troops sometimes undertook some distasteful but still necessary recreation, if she happened to be nearby, she'd kill them. He prayed that Hardy would get her mitts onto her and make her learn her place in the world.

Molt considered his options. He could always launch another assault, while they were still weak, but that would take time to prepare, and they still didn't know enough about this mage who had fallen in with the Bunny Warriors. In addition, a few days after the assault had taken place, he'd somehow forgotten where the Bunny Warriors' main settlement was, and none of his commanders knew either. They had an approximate idea, but it was as if they had all suffered from a collective amnesia. And truth be told, he knew that in a few years' time, the Gate on Alnus Hill would open once more, and he needed to ensure that he had enough soldiers to conquer whatever lay on the other side and bring back whatever lay there.

No, what was needed was intelligence-gathering under the flag of diplomacy. He needed more information. He would play the role of someone tired of this war with the Bunny Warriors and agree to an armistice, for now. He was indeed weary of having to deal with them. Oh, he would set some conditions, conditions that weren't wholly unreasonable, and it'd be interesting to see how they reacted.

But who to send? Molt considered his options, before a surprising one occurred to him. His favourite daughter and third in line to the throne, Pina Co Lada.

The girl was champing at the bit, given that her Rose Knights, her little experiment of her own personal unit, had thus far been kept as honour guards. She wanted to prove herself. The poor girl was naïve, admittedly, who knew nothing of the realities of warfare, but Molt was hoping that Pina and her Rose Knights could, eventually, become a group of envoys and diplomats, as well as scouts. Pina herself already had a gift for rhetoric, a good quality for a diplomat, and she had a keen eye and enough of an analytical eye. What was more, if the Bunny Warriors were stupid enough to try and hold her hostage or kill her, it would be their end. She may not be his immediate successor, but he had a certain fondness for her. And if they accepted her as his envoy to them for now, it meant she could get information on this mage who had helped them.

Hmm, maybe he could have her bring in Count Colt Formal along the way. It was an open secret that Colt sympathised with demi-humans, partly out of his own depraved desires. That Formal's desires were not as depraved as Molt contemptuously thought of them as or that he never made a move on his demi-human maids unless it was consensual never crossed Molt's mind. But he could be brought in to help sweeten the deal. And Pina associated with the man and his youngest daughter.

Making his mind up, Molt summoned one of his messengers to bring a message to Pina. It seemed she had work to do…

* * *

It had been a month since Harry's arrival in this world, and the events that followed. The Bunny Warriors' settlement was hidden by the Fidelius (and wasn't that a nightmare to work out the logistics of revealing to the Bunny Warriors where their own damned home was?), and wards were put in place as a precaution, by Hermione and Luna, who were much better at that than Harry. Luna had gone off with Rory after the Apostle was sure the Bunny Warriors wouldn't need her help, and after a week spent catching up, Sirius and Yao returned to the Dark Elves' own demesne. Hermione, meanwhile, was staying, devouring what knowledge she could from the Bunny Warriors' scholars and their library.

Harry, meanwhile, was coming to grips with his situation. He didn't quite call it predicament, because, while he was still magically bound to the Queen of an entire people, it wasn't quite that bad, and not just because she was one sexy rabbit girl. It was more the reality of the situation that was getting to him, given the responsibilities of his wife, getting to him. He had to adhere to some sort of protocol, and his rank, officially, was as a kind of advisor, albeit an honorary one.

Rebuilding buildings was fairly easy with a Repair Charm. But repairing feelings were another matter. Some hotter heads amongst the Bunny Warriors wanted revenge, and a few had prayed to Deldout and Parapan, intending to raid villages belonging to the Empire and its vassal states, something they had done in centuries passed. Certainly they thought that Zorzal should have been killed, and considered Tyuule and her followers to be cowards. They, thankfully, were in the minority, but the Imperial forces had left many emotional wounds even on the more moderate Bunny Warriors. Most of them had lost either a family member or a friend.

Many coped by going back into training. Watching them in action, without the distraction of battle, was an awe-inspiring sight. Their deceptively powerful legs (albeit designed for bursts of speed than sustained strength) allowed them to dash quite quickly, leap into the air, and even use walls or ceilings as springboards for attacks. Their fighting style was agile and swift, and Tyuule joined in the training as well. Her capture didn't sit well with her.

It was shortly after witnessing a few of these sessions that Tyuule decided that Harry, as her consort, needed training too. A powerful mage he might be, but as a physical warrior, he was somewhat lacking. Still, his own fighting style was nothing to sneeze at: he may have lacked their physical agility, but his use of Apparition in combat to attack from unpredictable directions helped, and even with the whipcrack noise of Apparition, it only gave them so much warning. But Tyuule wanted him to learn how to use a blade and a bow as well.

Which was why he was on his back in the middle of the training ground, Delilah straddling his chest with her very sweaty thighs (which only made things even more awkward than they already were), pressing a curved short sword to his throat. "Yield," she said, her sapphire eyes hard.

"I yield," he grumbled. Despite their slender frame, the Bunny Warriors were pretty damned strong. And Delilah, once he yielded, smiled, the deadly look leaving her eyes. While she was very much the hardened warrior, she was also compassionate and nice, and she helped him up readily. "So, how badly did I do this time?"

"Better than you did before. The difficulty with learning any variant of our fighting style is that you're a Hume, and our fighting style relies more on our own physiology," Delilah said. "But the changes I suggested to adapt it to a Hume work well enough. We learn to fight from an early age, Harry, even if we do not draw the blood of enemies until a later age. Your disadvantage is partly from that. We are a warrior society, after all, more so than what the Empire claims to be themselves. I doubt you would ever come to be at a level of ability comparable to most of our warriors. But your magic already is a boon to you, an advantage. Lady Tyuule wants you to be able to fight with a combination of physical skill and your magic. This is not to say we do not value those who cannot or will not be warriors, who prefer to be scholars and healers. We value the gifts given by Elange and Ral of knowledge and wisdom. Well, most of us do. Our society is far from perfect, and many consider us savages. Others consider us objects of desire, and while we do travel Falmart and take lovers, many want us as concubines, willing or not."

"I'm not sure a sword suits me, though," Harry said.

"You may be right. We'll try other weapons. A staff, a lance...because of my speed, you need an edge in reach," Delilah mused. "Your skill with a bow is good, though, once you got used to it."

Tyuule, who had been watching on after her own spar had ended, was handed a message by a messenger, and frowned as she approached. "We may need to polish up your diplomatic skills too. I've just been sent word by Mamina. The Emperor is making his move."

"And?" Delilah asked. "If the missive is from Mamina…has he asked Count Formal to send his troops?"

"No, thank the gods," Tyuule said. "No, he has sent Princess Pina Co Lada and her Rose Knights to Italica. Count Formal and a few of his knights will accompany her to our settlement…or at least as close as possible, given the Fidelius. It seems that the Emperor intends to arrange an armistice for now."

Harry frowned. He'd gotten a glimpse of Zorzal's thoughts on his half-sister when he had used Legilimency. Zorzal viewed her as a wannabe soldier, a girl playing at being a warrior when she should be a baby factory. Tyuule knew of Pina (though she couldn't answer Harry why the poor princess had been named for a cocktail), mostly through her contacts in Italica, as Pina knew Count Formal and his family. The upshot was, while Pina was a believer in the Empire and its system, she was also apparently a decent person, one who naively believed that slaves were well-treated for the most part, and who viewed many demi-humans with curiosity and indifference rather than contempt.

"Can we trust Pina?" Harry asked.

"She is not her father or her brother," Tyuule said. "What is more, she would be serious to sticking to the conventions of parley. The Emperor is certain we would not harm her, lest we risk further reprisals. He may love her, but holding her hostage would mean nothing to him. He would order our slaughter with reluctance, but he would order it all the same. That being said, I'll need to ensure that some of the more belligerent of our people do not attack her or her entourage. Delilah, begin planning security arrangements to protect the Rose Knights and Count Formal when they arrive."

"Yes, Lady Tyuule," Delilah said, bowing.

"That, however, can wait until we've had a bath," Tyuule said with a smile. "Trying to consider serious business while hot and sweaty is often unpleasant…"

* * *

If there was something from this new relationship he had with Tyuule that was both perk and curse, it was her insistence on cultivating intimacy. They were, luckily, on good enough terms, despite the precipitous nature of their marriage, and Harry didn't insist on her paying her debt in many ways he could have. Indeed, women using their bodies to settle debts was sadly common on this world, or at least more overtly accepted on this world than back on Earth. After the rocky beginning, Tyuule agreed to give Harry time to get to know her before they became truly intimate, especially as what they felt towards each other, even by now, was closer to a strongly developing friendship than love.

However, while they were warriors first and foremost, the Bunny Warriors were also sexual beings as well. The vast majority were beautiful, athletic women, and what's more, they were perfectly aware of how attractive they were to other beings. You would call them promiscuous if one, their culture didn't have different mores on sexuality and marriage, and two, they chose their partners with care, and even occasionally brought their men back to the tribe. Their male children, oddly enough, were rare, and Hermione was tearing her hair out trying to figure out the genetics and biology involved.

Tyuule had insisted, lately, on her bathing with him, in the oversized bath (closer to a hot tub in many regards) in his expanded trunk. He got the feeling that part of it was her acclimatising him to her, but another part of it was just her trolling him somewhat, testing his resolve. She certainly smirked a quite a bit at his reddened cheeks and rather conspicuous erection. That, and she loved the bath. Sometimes, Delilah would join them: Harry had learned from Sirius that, as long as both parties were consenting, they could take another partner, and Tyuule seemed to be considering Delilah as a co-lover, albeit to try and get some more mages into the Bunny Warriors.

It was still disconcerting to Harry to be considered effectively a stud for breeding in one regard, and it threw into sharp relief how different Tyuule's culture was to Britain, both mundane and magical. Hermione likened them to the Amazons of Greco-Roman myth, only with far less misandry, though given the misogyny of the Ancient Greeks, it was more than likely that the Amazons, if they did exist, were the victims of Grecian misogyny. It was more that they had a more female-centric society than one of misandry. To be sure, there was misandry in some elements, but it was like saying that, despite racial equality being a tenet of modern British society, racism still remained.

For example, given his position as Tyuule's consort, he theoretically held some power, especially as a warrior mage by his side. In practise, he held little true power, being officially in an advisory position, like a member of a council. The other Bunny Warriors had priority. Unofficially, he held her ear, and with Tyuule's original advisor dead during the battle against Zorzal, Delilah held that position herself, holding Tyuule's other ear.

Thanks to Winky and Fawkes, they were beginning to ferry over books from Earth. While Hermione was a bit wary of giving the Bunny Warriors too much in the way of advanced technology, especially where weapons were concerned, medicine and hygiene were other matters entirely. Hermione was also looking into finding ways to provide solar power, and Sirius had given her pointers on how to recreate the communications mirrors, having given them some he managed to make here. Such long-ranged communication would be invaluable. A magical form of printing press was also being considered, as books were still copied by hand.

Given that Hermione and Harry didn't have the knowledge, let alone the inclination, to recreate the car, they were working on enchanting certain objects for faster travel, potentially flight, such as brooms and carpets. They'd have to be careful around Imperial holdings though, given the wyvern riders of the Empire.

Tyuule sighed quietly, but contentedly. Her ears drooped, not from unhappiness, but sheer relaxation, a lazy smile on her face. "I hate having to wear that mask all the time," Tyuule said. "The mask of a queen. To try and be objective, to try and consider everything, to try and lead, to try and serve my people. Mother tried to prepare me, but…I wasn't ready. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been captured."

"Tyuule, you kicked arse. They got you because of sheer numbers, not out of any great strategy," Harry said. "Quantity than quality."

"I know, I just…I think back to what might have happened if I did surrender, if what you told me about Zorzal's plans were correct. I would have become hated by my people, and I would have had that man…no, that vile _beast_ …" She shivered in disgust and horror. "…Never again. What happened on that day opened my eyes. I do not want to have my people in that position ever again. Hopefully, the Empire will give my people time enough to prepare. And perhaps it's time to look further afield for help…" She shook her head. "But for now, I wish to just relax."

"…And that's another reason why I don't want to sleep with you yet," Harry said. On her sharp look, he clarified, "Zorzal nearly turned you into his sex slave. I'd prefer to get to know you." He looked at the ring ruefully. "This aside, of course. I don't want to hurt you, physically or emotionally."

She scooted over to him in the bath, and gently pressed her lips to his own, her tongue questing at his mouth. And he responded. For a few seconds, they were like that, before she broke away, her ruby orbs meeting his own emerald gaze. "And that is why I am waiting for you. But…don't wait forever for happiness. It won't come to you. You spoke to me of your life, Harry. You deserve happiness, and for what you did for me and my people, I will try to give you that."

With that, and a rueful smile, she stood, and clambered out of the bath. Harry could understand why she would say that. But…it wasn't as simple as that. He had too much baggage to simply let go. Too many ghosts haunting him, too many scars, to simply try and reach for happiness. After all, it was when he was at his happiest that the world frequently came crashing down around him…

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Molt's made his move, and Harry is being introspective.**

 **Now, Molt may seem OOC here, but his actions in** ** _GATE_** **seemed to be against an unknown enemy, one whose capabilities he knew nothing of. Here, he's on more familiar ground, knowing that it was a mage who attacked. Given how long his campaign against the Bunny Warriors has been, and to not enough effect, he's going to defer the campaign for a while, giving him enough time to figure out how to counter Harry. He also puts some interesting clauses into the armistice, 'requests' that are really just demands dressed up politely, about both Zorzal, as well as, as a good behaviour bond, bringing in Bunny Warriors into an auxiliary group under Formal. He's doing this to lay the groundwork for both dealing with Formal and the Bunny Warriors should they prove false, in his eyes, anyway.**

 **Also, before I get onto the review-answering, I should point out that, while there's a relative lack of good** ** _GATE_** **fics, there's still some promising ones. Admittedly, most of them are crossovers, but if you're hankering for more** ** _GATE_** **action, here's the fics I recommend…**

 ** _The God of Cookery_** **by havok038: This pure fic is pretty much the best one that doesn't rely on OCs as part of a foreign army accompanying the JSDF through the Gate. It focuses on bit character Furuta Hitoshi, expanding on his past and in changing it, gives him a rather vital role to play in Zorzal's court, and a potential redemption for Tyuule.**

 ** _The Janus Campaign_** **by kiyone4ever: Another pure fic, albeit with a ton of OCs mixed in, and even characters from** ** _MASH_** **thrown in, believe it or not.**

 ** _GATE: Thus the Blood Gulchers Kicked Ass There_** **by AkumaKami64: This** ** _Red vs Blue_** **crossover is easily one of the most darkly comic things I have ever read (it's** ** _Red vs Blue_** **, what did you expect?), and while it's yet to reach Falmart, it's still worth reading if you like dark comedy.**

 ** _GATE: Thus XCOM Fought There_** **by Cronus Prime: This** ** _XCOM_** **crossover is still in its early stages, but I think it's worth a shot. XCOM basically accompanies the JSDF to Falmart.**

 ** _Universal Impossibility_** **by MMiFwI: A** ** _Star Wars_** **crossover set six years after** ** _Return of the Jedi_** **, where Luke investigates a disappearance of a colonist on Yavin 4, and finds a Gate appearing.**

 ** _Gate: Thus the Dominion Fought There_** **by TheWatcher2785:** ** _Starcraft_** **meets** ** _GATE_** **. 'Nuff said. Worth it partly because, in the latest-published chapter as of writing, they take down Giselle.** ** _Hard_** **.**

 **Review-answering time! Thank you, everyone who enjoyed the story so far.**

 **rmarcano321** **: Hardy, from what I can gather (and as I say at the end of the ninth chapter), is basically a female Hades with the immorality and sexual appetite of Zeus.**

 **3697014** **: I'll consider doing that soon, now that I've published this story.**

 **Kaiya Azure** **: There's a few reasons which I mentioned above. Firstly, Molt had been trying to conquer them for some time to no avail, and he's cutting his losses for now. Secondly, the Fidelius. Thirdly, given the reports of what Harry did, he's being cautious, and wants to gain more intel first.**

 **Jostanos** **: Harry decided against that. It'd be kidnapping, and Andy wasn't actually a bad mother figure for Teddy. The dispute was between Harry and Andy. Keep in mind, Andy's not a bad person in this story, and neither are the Weasleys. It's more that things went sour, friendship-wise.**

 **Suzululu4moe** **: Only the richest and oldest families have such rings. And they're not always used either, with Love Potions often used to ensnare some victims. Also, Harry's been through a lot, and he didn't quite kill that many people directly, though he did prove to be a major boon to the Bunny Warriors. But he killed a lot, and at that time, he wasn't feeling much guilt. Then again, he wasn't feeling much of anything, not even elation at their deaths.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	6. Chapter 5: Pina Co Lada

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **PINA CO LADA**

From one of the guard towers, Harry used a pair of Omnioculars to watch the approaching party in the distance. The banner held aloft (other than the white flag denoting parley) reminded Harry of the Tudor Rose. Most of the knights were in their teens or early twenties, though near the leader was an older man, handsome, but slightly grizzled. The leader was a girl of about sixteen, but with a bearing that made her seem older, with blood red hair. They were being led towards the settlement by an escort of Bunny Warriors. Harry knew that, if they were shown the secret and allowed in, then they wouldn't be able to pass it on to others unless they had it written down by the Secret Keeper, Tyuule. These papers were kept as secure as possible, just in case.

Tyuule herself was waiting outside the settlement, flanked by bodyguards. She had insisted that Harry stay out of sight for now, to act as a trump card if things truly did go sour, which was why he was in the guard tower with Hermione and Delilah. He didn't like this, but still, he was going along with it.

Rory was currently perched on the railing. She had come back a few days ago, and had spent the time chatting with Harry and Hermione when they had time spare. Apparently Luna had decided to head to a High Elf village, intending to learn about their spiritual magic and, in the words Rory relayed to Harry and Hermione, 'find a cute Elf to play with'.

After enough time spent talking to Harry, and being gently but firmly prevented from doing her usual physical teasing, Rory seemed to have accepted her relationship with Harry. She declared herself the big sister, despite looking a little over half of Harry's age. She was like a stray cat who had adopted an owner, in a way, only said stray cat was a ridiculously powerful demigod. She had, however, demanded more Gothic Lolita clothing, and Hermione had sent Winky over to procure some.

"So, the redhead out in front, that's Princess Pina Co Lada?" Hermione asked.

Rory nodded. "She's a little girl playing at being a warrior, but by all accounts, she's dedicated, just naïve. The Emperor sending her means that he's serious about having a ceasefire, even if it's only temporary. Probably coached her on how to act. Her other Rose Knights are another matter. The blonde there, for example. That's Bozes Co Palesti, second daughter of Marquis Palesti. A bit of a hothead, that one."

"What about the older man near the princess?" Hermione asked.

"I know him," Delilah said. "Grey Co Aldo may be a veteran Imperial knight, but even amongst our people, he is known for his honour."

"And Count Formal? Is that him, that rather older moustached man riding behind them?"

"Yes," Delilah said. "While he has…proclivities towards demi-humans such as us, he is content to look but not touch, and indeed, he is probably one of the few influential nobles of the Saderan Empire to be well-inclined towards us. He even has a Medusa as a maid, and many fear those."

"Still, I hope you've taken precautions," Rory said. "It's been less than two months since that battle, and I'm sure some of your people want revenge."

"I've already made arrangements. Parna has been keeping them in check. I understand their pain, but taking it out on Pina is unwise. I have made it clear to them that if they want to be angry against the Empire, then they should save it for when the Empire strikes back."

Harry stifled a snort hurriedly. The pun was unintentional on Delilah's part. "So did Lady Tyuule, but there's always some idiot who's not willing to give a crap," he said.

He watched as the princess approached Tyuule, before dismounting. She walked forward, until she had judged she was close enough, and fell to one knee. "Your Majesty," she said. "I am Princess Pina Co Lada, third in line to the throne of my father. I have been sent here as envoy to negotiate an armistice under the flag of parley." She looked around, frowning. "But why is Your Majesty out in the middle of an open field? Where is your settlement? Why such a small escort?"

Harry snickered quietly. Looks like the Fidelius was still working. Tyuule said, "All shall be revealed, Princess Pina Co Lada. You may rise. Please ask your Rose Knights and Count Formal and his escort to dismount."

Pina gave those orders, before turning back to Tyuule. Grey handed her a rolled-up scroll, which Pina then handed over to Tyuule. "This is, admittedly, a rough draft of the armistice agreement. The finer details can be hammered out. However, doing so in an empty field is not conducive to negotiations."

"Well, it happened between King John and the nobles at Runnymede," Hermione snarked(1).

"You'll forgive me if I am reluctant to do so. My home has been concealed by a powerful magic, one that locks the secret of the location within my very soul. Only those I _willingly_ share the secret with are aware of its existence, and they cannot pass the secret onto others," Tyuule said. "Given the frequent incursions of your father's forces into our kingdom, you must understand why I have taken such a precaution."

Bozes scowled. "You dare take such an insolent tone with us, especially after you inflicted that pitiful state on Prince Zorzal?"

"He intended to take me forcibly as his concubine and enslave the survivors of my people," Tyuule said sharply. "I was not the one who inflicted that state on him, but I'm not unhappy about it. And keep in mind that you are here under the flag of parley, Bozes Co Palesti. That gives you the right to negotiate, not the right to insult my people or myself. Otherwise, you can go home with the princess at once."

"Bozes," Pina snapped, shooting her subordinate a look, before returning her gaze to Tyuule. "While I cannot say that I have been on the best of terms with my eldest brother, and I know that his… _appetites_ are manifold and disturbing, I would remind you that he is currently in a coma due to whatever foul magic was used. Be thankful that my father has not demanded reparations for now."

"Is it the way of the world for a criminal to demand reparations from their victim when the criminal has been given just punishment for their sins?" Tyuule asked archly. "You are here because your father and I have one thing in common if nothing else. We are weary of battle and the cost it inflicts on our people. Had he truly wished for _reparations_ at this time, he would have sent yet another army. In any case, he has many other heirs, including yourself and your brother Diabo, and frankly, I would prefer either one of you on the throne to Zorzal. But we are not here to speak of such matters." She opened up the scroll she had been given, and looked down at it, frowning. After some consideration, she nodded. "Very well. Our home is situated right here in this very field."

Harry knew what it must look like to the Rose Knights and Formal's men, having gone through it before, and snickered. It would look like the whole settlement had simply folded and inflated into existence out of thin air. "My word," Grey said. "Powerful magic, whatever this is."

"My warriors will escort you to somewhere where we can begin the negotiations in earnest," Tyuule said. "I need to speak with my advisors, you understand."

* * *

As Pina and her party were escorted away to a meeting hall, Tyuule joined Harry and the others in the guard tower. "Is something the matter?" Harry asked.

"Either Pina doesn't consider this reparations, or else she wasn't told. Then again, she said, 'reparations for now'," Tyuule said, handing the scroll to Delilah, who scanned it, only to frown.

"It seems he wants compensation of a sort for Zorzal after all," Delilah said. "The wording is all very polite, but he has made a _request_ for 'volunteers' from our tribe to join his army as a specialised auxiliary unit under Count Formal. Twenty Bunny Warriors. He knows that one of us is roughly equivalent to five of his men. He's effectively asking for the equivalent to one of his army's centuries."

"In addition, he has _requested_ a treatment to bring his son out of his coma," Tyuule said. "Given the language he used, he's annoyed with his son's careless use of his soldiers, but still wants him brought out of his coma, even if it's a long process. In exchange for bringing him out of the coma, the Emperor seems to indicate that he will keep Zorzal on a tight leash. Any ideas?"

Hermione looked at Harry. "What about that treatment for Neville's parents? The one Luna came up with?"

Harry nodded, thinking back to that. The treatment did eventually restore the sanity of Frank and Alice Longbottom, but it took an application of several months, due to the way long-term Cruciatus exposure affected the central nervous system. "Maybe we could extend the process a little. Anything else?"

"He's intending to have Pina stay here as his envoy for now, at least for some months. Given the unrest amongst some of us, I'm not so sure it's a good idea," Tyuule said.

"He's sent her here to spy for him, you know," Rory said lazily. "To gain intelligence on Harry. Given that Harry is effectively your trump card, Molt'll want to find a way to take him out of the equation. I doubt that any of the Rose Knights will have been given orders to capture or assassinate him. Molt values Pina too much. Still, do you think you can find twenty of your people willing to work under the Emperor, or at least Count Formal, for now?"

"Do you think he's serious about keeping this armistice?"

"Long enough for him to make up for his losses. This auxiliary unit is a political gesture. Also, remember that he is placing them under Count Formal's responsibility. If they are accused of doing something under Formal's aegis, then he can use that as a pretext to declare war against both Count Formal and your people. Still, I think you should accept for now. Besides, by the time he considers attacking your people again, Zorzal aside, there's another thing to worry about. There's the very real possibility of the Gate being opened within the next few years, and the Emperor will need all the military forces he can get."

"That's another thing," Hermione said. "Are we going to allow the Empire to keep taking slaves from those they conquer?"

"No, but one thing at a time, Hermione," Harry said.

"Yes, fighting against something so ingrained in the system is difficult," Rory remarked. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I've killed my fair share of slavers over the centuries. They're so fun to slice and dice." She gave a vicious smirk at that. "But while paid servants are more common for general service, the sad truth remains that slavery is very much part of the Empire's make-up. Even the princess, while she would find slavery distasteful, and sex slavery even more so, is too much of a patriot to fight against it."

"…Then we need to change that," Harry said. "Do you want me there at the negotiation table?"

"No. I trust you, Harry, but you do have an impulsive streak," Tyuule said. "Lady Mercury, can I ask you for your presence?"

Rory grinned. "I never thought you'd ask. I should be enough to keep the more hotheaded members of the Rose Knights under control…"

* * *

As it happened, Delilah also joined Tyuule at the negotiating table. Rory was there mostly as a deterrent…or more to the point, as a mediator, albeit of the sort that liked to troll both sides. Harry and Hermione were left to wait outside for now.

"Well, I think I've spent enough time in this place," Hermione said quietly as they walked down the streets of the settlement. "I've sent Croaker our latest report…well, my report, via Winky. He wants me to start investigating the magic used here in earnest. I've a few options. The most obvious choice is to head to Rondel."

"That's the university city that teaches mages, right?" Harry asked.

"Yes. But we're technically meant to be flying under the radar, this snafu with you getting wed to Tyuule aside, and I may be scrutinised if I start showing off too much in the way of a different magic. However, Luna sent me word. Near the High Elf settlement she's currently living in, there's a human village called Coda. On the outskirts of the village lives a famous mage, Cato El Altestan. He has recently taken on an apprentice, Lelei La Lalena. However, I might be able to ask him for help in understanding more about the differing schools of magic on this world."

Harry nodded. He knew Hermione had been getting restless lately. With a whole new world, filled with new knowledge that she was greedy for…and in any case, she had managed to recreate the communication mirrors, which they were getting ready to distribute to those in the field.

Still…it meant that the last person he knew from his homeworld would be leaving him. In a way, he was using Hermione as a distraction, to a degree, from what had happened with Tyuule. Oh, they'd be keeping in touch…but Luna and Hermione had been pretty much the only Hogwarts alumni he had stayed friends with, apart from Neville and George.

He couldn't think like that. Hermione and he had had more than a few rough patches, but they had stayed friends through thick and thin. And he knew she wasn't abandoning him. He'd be able to cope, wouldn't he?

Well, regardless, he hoped that things didn't go tits-up with these negotiations. The last thing they needed at the moment was more trouble…

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Nothing much to say here. About the chapter, anyway. This website, though, didn't really show the update to this story until later than it should have. Anyway, I'm delaying the posting of the next chapter after this one for a day or two.**

 **Review-answering time!** **hakon2feb** **: The Gate probably materialises at certain spots. Admittedly, I'm not as conversant with the lore of the show as I'd like, or at least the stuff that only appears in the manga or the original light novels. As for developing the Bunny Warriors, I did take what I saw in the anime, as well as adding some touches of my own from other fictional works (the Fremen from** ** _Dune_** **, for example, or the Skifandrians from** ** _Girl Genius_** **).**

 **jgkitarel** **: I did base Molt on what I had seen so far from canon, but I also thought of him as basically a slightly more incompetent and powerful version of Tywin Lannister. And I say** ** _slightly_** **more incompetent because Molt's tactics in canon, while cruel, may have worked against a less technologically-advanced enemy. Though Tywin would probably be less careless with his men's lives, if only from a pragmatic point of view. Plus, there's a line from the** ** _Doctor Who_** **webcomic** ** _Second Empire_** **(which I highly recommend) where Davros calls diplomacy lying to one's enemies so that they can exterminate them later.**

 **mad thought** **: I was intending to bring up the sticky issue of World War II anyway, even if it was in a minor role to the story. After all, technically, the Japanese don't have the right to wage war anymore, not since World War II…**

 **1\. Hermione's referring to where the Magna Carta was signed.**


	7. Chapter 6: Discontent

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **DISCONTENT**

A few hours later, the initial part of the negotiations were over. While they were still hammering out some parts of the agreement, most of it had gone, if not well, then with little incident. Then again, having Rory Mercury in your corner, or at least in the same room, tended to ensure negotiations were, if not calm, then without any major dispute.

Harry was currently enjoying a drink with Delilah (Hermione getting ready to head to Coda Village) when Pina and the Rose Knights entered. The pub's usual hubbub stilled, and Harry knew that a lot of people were looking at them with not a little hostility. Pina, to her credit, noticed, and then, when she approached the bar, placed a bag of money on the counter. "Drinks for myself and my comrades, please. And a round to anyone willing."

"We don't want drinks paid by the likes of you!" sneered one Bunny Warrior.

Bozes wheeled on the offender, only for Grey to put a hand on the hotheaded blonde's shoulder. The older veteran said, "Her Majesty did say anyone willing. We are not here to fight."

"You're from the Empire, Hume, and we would be fools to trust your words," retorted another.

Delilah stood and glared at the culprits. "They are envoys under the flag of parley, Clementine and Renner(1). You would do well to remember that."

"Parley? Tyuule's going to be giving us away to appease the Emperor!" Clementine, the first one to speak, sneered, before gesturing at Harry. "That sorcerer is no doubt one of Zorzal's plants."

"And the fact that I saved Tyuule from him?" Harry retorted.

"A double bluff," Clementine scoffed. "She might as well cut off one of her ears, show that she is your plaything!"

" _Wow_. I guess it was too much to hope that ingratitude was the sole province of humans," Harry snarked. "And are you clowns seriously trying to annoy someone who could do…this?" With a wave of his hands, he Transfigured Clementine and Renner's clothes into clown costumes, complete with makeup. It was sort of his standard prank Transfiguration technique.

Clementine and Renner looked down at themselves, and shrieked in fury, before storming out, nearly tripping over their now-oversized shoes. "Let that be a lesson, ladies and gentlemen," Harry said. "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger(2)."

"That didn't seem very subtle," Bozes remarked.

"I never said I was."

Pina peered at him, before taking her own drink over to the table where Harry and Delilah were. "So, you're the warlock who left my brother in a pitiable state."

"And you have the misfortune to be related to him. My condolences. Still, you at least seem like you give a crap about other people."

"Show some respect to Princess Pina Co Lada!" snapped a blonde young man.

"I am. I am treating her like she's a decent person unless she proves otherwise."

"Norma, enough," Pina said, before turning back to Harry. "I have already spoken at great length with Queen Tyuule on the matter of my brother. Even if I do not believe all of it, I am more than aware of his proclivities. But he is also my brother."

"Well, you can choose your friends, but not your family. I'm guessing these are your friends and not just your soldiers?"

She nodded, apparently grateful for the change in subject. "Indeed. This is, admittedly, our first deployment in anything apart from being colour guard."

"So, basically, this is your first time you don't just stand around and look good," Harry clarified.

"Essentially," Grey said. "Her Majesty's committed, but she does not get many opportunities to show her commitment. The same applies to the others here."

"Well, as long as you don't start anything, I'm fine. You fine with them being here, Delilah?"

Delilah nodded, albeit reluctantly. "I will honour your status as envoys as long as you do nothing to harm my people. Where is Count Formal?"

Pina and Bozes, along with a few other of the Rose Knights, looked a little embarrassed. "Count Formal lingered behind to speak to a couple of your people," Grey said with an embarrassed cough. "I'm sure by now you are aware of his own proclivities. Though he understands to not take it to objectionable lengths."

"That's because a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman, no matter whether they be human or demi-human, Sir Grey, or even their station," said Count Formal as he walked in. "And a beautiful woman, or indeed any woman, should be treated with respect. It is one thing to admire their form, but another entirely to take what isn't yours. Besides, I know better than to try anything objectionable with any being that has 'warrior' in their race's name and can back it up. I'd be lucky to get away with bruises."

"Which is rather wise, Count Formal," Delilah said, nodding to the older man. "How are your daughters?"

"My eldest are doing well with their husbands. And little Myui is growing up fast. A fast learner, she is, at least in her letters and figures," Formal said proudly. "Actually, I have to say, your page seems eager for one so young."

"Of course. Hamilton is a good page," Pina said, indicating a girl who appeared to be in her early to mid-teens. "But announcing me so pompously in some situations doesn't help."

"I said I'm sorry," Hamilton said, looking a bit shamefaced. "But a page is required to…"

"Yes, I know. But the people here not only know who I am already, and will not appreciate it being announced every time, Hamilton," Pina said gently.

Harry got the impression that a number of the Rose Knights, especially Bozes, looked like they were struggling to hold their tongues. Arrogant buggers who were convinced of the superiority of the Empire they served, no doubt. From what he had learned, the Rose Knights were mostly children of nobles of Pina Co Lada's acquaintance, a bit like a rather bizarre version of a school club for them. And there were mostly women or girls, presumably because the men were already expected to serve in the military in one form or another. Pina at least was good at keeping things civil, though it would be expected of her as a princess. Third in line to the throne, despite being born to a concubine, according to Tyuule. Then again, Pina's mother was favoured by Emperor Molt Sol Augustus.

Feeling a pang of sympathy for the girl, despite the fact that she was probably brainwashed by her father and her society into believing the Empire was always right, even when it was wrong, he remarked, "Better get used to being seen as Princess Pina Co Lada rather than just Pina. People are going to see you for what titles you accrue and for your family line, not for what and who you truly are. Take it from someone who's been there, done that, even if you haven't heard of me."

"Queen Tyuule called you Harry Potter," Grey said. "A rather common-sounding name, if you forgive me for saying so."

"That's fine. Your princess sounds like she was named for a cocktail where I come from, and no, that is not an insult, I am serious. Rum, coconut milk and pineapple juice, in case you're wondering. The subject of a rather nice song, actually. _If you like pina coladas, and getting lost in the rain_ …" Harry crooned, halting when he saw the bemused looks on their faces. Clearing his throat, he then added, "My point is…it's going to take you a while to be recognised for your own achievements. And sometimes, it won't be the right kind of recognition."

Grey peered at Harry, before grimacing, nodding in sympathy. "You're a soldier yourself. You have been from a young age, younger than most," the older knight said. "Emroy must favour you, and that's not necessarily a good thing."

"I've already had to deal with knowing Rory. That's… _interesting_."

"Speak of the Devil, and she shall appear," purred a familiar voice, with the Apostle of Emroy strutting towards their table, and sitting next to Harry. "And yes, I'd like to think that I am interesting." A little more gently, she did say, "And yes…you have Emroy's attention. It can be a blessing and curse both. People pray to him without thinking of the consequences, not realising the true horrors they inflict in war. They forget that, while Emroy does not consider the act of killing a sin, it is the motive that matters, that self-delusion and killing for its own sake is a poison in the soul. People should be careful what they use as justification for killing, lest they lie to themselves about why they do so. That is why I have little time for bandits who slaughter in Emroy's name, but in truth, do so merely to slake their own lust for violence of many kinds. Well, I say I have little time for them. I make time to show them the error of their ways and ensure they don't ever do it again."

"Yes, killing them would ensure that they don't do it ever again, wouldn't it?" Harry snarked at the immortal Gothic Lolita demigoddess. "I'm sure that the Death Eaters could have done with you culling them."

"…Death Eaters?" Pina asked.

Before Harry could reply, Rory said, "Oh, they're a group of warlocks from where Harry came from. They despised people who didn't have magic. Their leader was Harry's own nemesis."

"And where do you come from, exactly?" Bozes asked.

"A long way away from Falmart," Harry said, shooting an unrepentant Rory a sharp look.

"And you threw your lot in with…the Bunny Warriors?" Bozes asked, seeming like she corrected herself at the last moment. Harry was almost certain she said 'savages' in her mind.

"I ended up in the very tent they were keeping Queen Tyuule by accident, or rather, because a certain deity thought it'd be funny. I saw someone in need of help, and her captor demanding that she become his sex slave. You'd do the same thing if it was Pina, I am sure."

"…Then Queen Tyuule is fortunate to have someone so loyal to her," Pina said, tactfully avoiding the subject of Zorzal.

"We all are," Delilah said. "Clementine and Renner are in the minority," she added hastily.

"No kingdom is without discontent," Grey observed ruefully.

* * *

Harry parted ways with the Rose Knights on at least somewhat cordial terms. Then again, they had danced around a number of key issues. Harry was sure that they were here to gain intelligence on him as much as they were here to negotiate an armistice. They wouldn't try something as blatant as an assassination this early on in proceedings, Delilah had mused, and Pina and her Rose Knights didn't seem like the sort to do so. They held to some form of chivalry at least.

When Harry rejoined Tyuule later that evening for dinner at her home (a dinner he himself cooked), the albino Bunny Warrior looked pensive. "I heard about what happened in the pub," she said quietly as they ate their meal. "Already, the terms of the armistice have leaked. I've tried to clarify things, but…"

"They think that they're basically being conscripted into the Imperial Army?"

"I already have twenty volunteers, thanks to Delilah and Parna, but that's not the issue. That's just adding fuel to the fire. Clementine and Renner are just the most vocal members of a small but dangerous faction. It's one that tends to go out on bandit raids of Hume properties, one that believes in our superiority over any other race, even fellow demi-humans. Plus, there's also a few who I think are part of the Haryo, or want to join them."

The Haryo, a group of demi-humans, particularly half-breeds, who believed themselves to be the true rulers of Falmart. In reality, they were closer to a mafia group in terms of operations than anything else, although their ambitions were not merely criminal, but rather, hoping to usurp the Empire. "And Pina and her Rose Knights?"

"As long as they behave, they should be fine. She sincerely believes that the Empire is benevolent to those they conquer," Tyuule scoffed. "Still, her father and Grey have coached her to mind her tongue. Presumably, so has Count Formal."

"Would Clementine and Renner's allies try to assassinate Pina?"

"Maybe, but I think they're more likely to assassinate either one of us and blame it on them. Some of those amongst them have designs on being Queen, despite our tradition being that only a Pureblood, a Bunny Warrior born and bred with a rare male, has the right to be Queen. I despise that tradition myself, of course, and I intend to make sure my successor is someone I trust, even if she is not of my blood. At the moment, Delilah and Parna are the frontrunners for my chosen successors." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I hate this, I really do."

"Being Queen?"

"Yes. Anyone who desires such a position has to be insane or imbecilic. But…I have a responsibility to my people, to those under my aegis. I will not abdicate as long as I can do some good for my people."

"And I will stay by your side, to help you protect them. Those idiots aside, your people have done more for me than anyone else. They may view me as an Honoured Sorcerer, but they don't intend to rely on me to do everything. They can fight for themselves. I fight alongside them, for them, and not just instead of them. I mean, not that it was like that all the time back home. During the Battle of Hogwarts, everyone fought in the end…but I feel welcomed here, for the most part. Like…like I can start afresh, start anew. Like I can actually do some good of my own will, rather than being tied down by some fucking prophecy. Okay, I'm technically tied to you through those rings but…there are few people I'd rather be stuck with, Tyuule."

She returned his smile. "I'm glad."

They then continued their meal in companionable silence, before they finished. Harry was surprised at how much he was growing used to being Tyuule's consort. Such a beautiful woman could have her pick of men to bed, and yet, not only had she chosen him (albeit partly because he was a mage), but also, she was willing to take it slowly, to allow them to get to know each other. The bond was, admittedly, a bit of a roadblock, but more and more, Harry felt that that was the best kind of serendipity.

As Harry took the dishes away, Tyuule went over to a window, and peered up at the moonlit sky. "A beautiful night," she said. Suddenly, there was a twang, and a sharp gasp. Harry, who was setting up charms to wash the dishes in a basin, whirled, fearing the worst. He rushed over, and found Tyuule clutching at the sill of the window, but she waved him back. "Stay back!"

After a moment, she plucked something that had stuck in the sill, and carried it over: an arrow with a sheet of paper around it. She unrolled it, and read it, her crimson eyes widening, before she snarled, and handed it to him. Harry read the following in the script of this world…

 _You are no Queen but a subservient whore who has no right to intact ears, bound to a vile Hume warlock, and we refuse to follow you any longer. Expel the Humes, Imperial or not, from our settlement and abdicate. Otherwise, they will be sent to Hardy, and we will send you to follow them. So we swear by Deldout and Emroy._

 _The true Bunny Warriors_

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, discontent's running high, huh? I very nearly ended it with Harry being hit with a poison arrow while trying to save Tyuule, but decided this would be better.**

 **Review-answering time!** **rmarcano321** **: What inspired me to write this fic was, well, I wanted to do a** ** _GATE_** **fanfic, and there's only two other Potterverse crossovers, though I considered others. Plus, I wanted to save Tyuule from her crappy canon fate.**

 **jgkitarel** **: Good points. I do sort of address those, and I try to pare down the nationalism here. In one of the latest chapters I've written, Tyuule points out to Hazama that, while they are in alliance, she does not want to exchange one set of potential conquerors for another. Personally, I am really tempted to bash Yanagida, given the remarks he made about resources in** ** _GATE_** **canon.**

 **1\. In trying to find names for the Bunny Warrior OCs here, I decided to use the name of two of the more malevolent female characters from** ** _Overlord_** **.**

 **2\. This comes from** ** _The Fellowship of the Ring_** **, and is something I've had Harry snark at before.**


	8. Chapter 7: The Challenge

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **THE CHALLENGE**

Parna scowled as she looked down at the missive. Tyuule, Delilah, Hermione and Harry were there with her in Tyuule's manse later that night. "Either your detractors are more stupid than we thought, or else Clementine and Renner are acting alone," the Bunny Warrior said. "That being said, the wording implies that they have guessed that you two are bound together. Did you see anyone?"

"No," Tyuule said. "Then again, with the moon shining in my eyes, I doubt I would have seen anything unless they were stupid enough to stand in front of it."

"They must think that they have enough numbers on their side to launch a coup, or else they think they can hold onto the throne. They're probably banking on resentment towards the Imperials," Delilah said. "I've put trusted guards with the Rose Knights and warned the princess and Sir Grey."

"Does anyone recognise the handwriting?" Hermione asked. The three Bunny Warriors shook their heads. "What about fingerprinting it?"

"Fingerprinting?" Delilah asked.

"People's fingerprints are different, fairly unique to each person on each finger," Harry explained. "The problem is, Tyuule and I have already handled it, as has Parna and Delilah. And I don't think the populace of this place would take kindly to being fingerprinted."

Tyuule nodded. "Some of us use our thumbprint as a signature on the most sacred of oaths. To use it in such a manner would cause problems. Do you have any spells that can tell us who wrote it?"

"No," Harry said. "The nearest spell I know of was mostly taught to recruits of the DMLE back home, and there are ways to confuse it anyway. And of course, we can't do DNA testing, even if it wasn't handled so much."

"Then there is only one thing for it," Tyuule said resolutely. "I will call for a Thing."

"…Sorry?" Harry asked. "What thing?"

"A Thing, Harry. An assembly. It comes from the older Germanic peoples. Like Parliament or the Wizengamot," Hermione explained.

"It is not quite what I meant, but it is indeed an assembly," Tyuule said. "A Thing of our people is basically a public gathering to bring issues and grievances before the Queen and her aides to settle or resolve. However, it can be used by the Queen to demand that any challengers to the throne be called out. It is tradition that a Pureblood Bunny Warrior like myself sits on the throne, true, but there have been exceptions to the rule, especially when there haven't been any male Bunny Warriors for us to mate with. Usually, the challenge is done between contenders when there is no Pureblood ready for the throne, and is a mixture of both combat and rhetoric. But there is technically nothing preventing them from challenging a Pureblood Queen they consider unworthy, and indeed, there is precedent. My great-grandmother, Beatrix the Unconquered, was challenged on no less than three occasions because she took an Imperial knight as her first consort."

"Can you nominate a champion?" Hermione asked.

"Only if I am unable to fight, and even then, it would mean a massive loss of face on my part. However, by the same token, I have to face but a single opponent per assembly, unless I agree to go on. That means they would have to nominate my opponent, to take my place as Queen."

"We can't assume that they would have the honour to agree to such things, Lady Tyuule," Delilah pointed out. "They demand that you abdicate, not that you meet them in a challenge."

"True, but they cannot hope to win much support from the people in that way," Tyuule said. "And with the Rose Knights here…they don't seem to care that they are inviting disaster towards our people. Even with the Fidelius, there is no guarantee that the Empire can't circumvent it somehow."

"Some people do not," Parna said. "To treat with the enemy is seen as a sign of weakness, despite our lessened numbers. They would prefer death or glory. Many also despise Humes, Elves, other demi-humans…" She emitted a contemptuous scoff. "Lady Tyuule, calling them out in a Thing is dangerous. There is no guarantee they will accept the outcome if you emerge victorious. Your great-grandmother was nearly assassinated several times despite the outcome of the challenges to her rule, and on her second challenge, her opponent attempted to attack her when her back was turned after the bout ended."

"Which is why I will be counting on you to deal with them if that happens," Tyuule said. "Once the challenge is over, if they are foolish enough to try something, then their lives are forfeit…"

* * *

Early the next morning, Harry stood a little way away from Tyuule as she stood on a stage, flanked by Delilah. Most of the Bunny Warriors had gathered, having heard the announcement. Parna had gone to keep an eye on the Rose Knights and Hermione, who was asking about the Empire from Pina and Grey, who seemed to be the more affable members of the Rose Knights. And while pretty much every member of the Bunny Warriors were, improbably, beautiful women, Harry could see some ugly expressions on the faces of a few of them. He kept his eyes flickering around, just in case there was a threat to his safety and Tyuule's, Moody's frequent howls of " _CONSTANT VIGILANCE!_ " embedded in his mind. Though it occasionally lingered, despite himself, on Tyuule's callipygian rear, clad as she was in her skimpy warrior clothing. Hell, even the tuft of her tail above her derriere only served to make it more endearing.

Tyuule began her speech. "My sisters in arms…I am not blind, deaf, or an imbecile. I know that I have made some decisions of late that have caused discontent. And yet, instead of bringing their grievances to me personally, I am forced to listen to reports and rumour…as well as being sent vicious threats anonymously." She held up the letter. "At least one if not more of you has had the temerity to demand that I abdicate, and leave with the Humes present in our home. Otherwise, they would murder me. The fact that this missive was delivered by shooting it to me via bow and arrow, rather than delivering it to me themselves, proves only that these 'True Bunny Warriors' are but base cowards!"

There were grumblings in the crowd, and Harry noted that the vast majority seemed to be in favour of Tyuule. Indeed, he could only pick out maybe a score of those who seemed to sneer or scowl at Tyuule herself rather than her detractors, Clementine and Renner amongst them, though he noted that one Bunny Warrior near those two who had been glaring at Tyuule was now berating the pair quietly. Clementine and Renner argued back, looking singularly unrepentant. It seemed that they were the ones responsible for the letter.

"To dissent is not in itself a sin. And I admit, I am taking a risk allowing the envoys of the Empire here. But it is a risk that will buy us time to be ready for when the Empire strikes back. And yet, these cowards spit on tradition by not even demanding to challenge me!"

"You don't deserve tradition!" Clementine screamed, pointing at Tyuule. "You're a slattern, a slut, a whore who spreads her legs for the warlock you're bound to! Oh yes, you're bound to that Hume who conveniently popped in to save you! Why else would you favour him? Why else would you both have magic rings? He is one of the Empire's! He's making you their puppet!"

"You have it wrong!" Tyuule snapped. "I am not bound to him! Rather, _he is bound to me!_ " In the shocked silence that followed, Tyuule said, "Our tribe is strong, true, but we lack mages in our bloodline. Upon learning of these rings, I managed to bind him to me, so that not only does that mean he will stay and fight for us, but we can then have children with magic!"

"You just got pissed and he tricked you into binding yourself to him! ADMIT IT, WARLOCK'S WHORE!" screamed Clementine shrilly. Renner, however, was looking a bit uncertain now, and the Bunny Warrior next to them was facepalming. Certainly a few of the dissidents Harry noticed seemed to be a little less odious.

"Do you intend to challenge me, Clementine?" Tyuule said coldly. "Or are you just going to stand there screaming insults while Renner and Mydia(1) stand idly by?"

Clementine whirled and snarled at Mydia, "Challenge her, damn you! You were the one who wanted to replace her!"

"And you two acted too damned soon, before we could rally more to our cause!" Mydia hissed back, before she glared at Tyuule. "I wash my hands of these two. I will challenge you when it becomes clear to more of us that you are no longer fit to lead."

"May that day be long in coming, Mydia," Tyuule retorted. Her crimson eyes went over to Clementine and Renner, though the latter was inching away from the former. "Well, Clementine? Or are you a craven coward who should have lopped off her ear when she can't even face me in single combat?"

With a roar of anger, Clementine jumped out of the crowd and flung a knife, but not at Tyuule. Harry only managed to dodge in time because of his Seeker reflexes, and even then, the knife clipped his arm. Clementine charged at Harry, only for Tyuule to interpose herself between him and the rabid rabbit woman. "Your fight is with me, bitch!" Tyuule snarled, her decorum leaving her in her anger as she blocked Clementine's sword with her own.

"You're just his whore! Of course you'd protect him!" Clementine snarled back. "Warlock's Whore! Warlock's Whore!"

On Tyuule's gesture, Harry backed away. "We haven't even coupled yet," Tyuule sneered coldly. "Your insult is as inaccurate as it is degrading. A gentleman and a wizard, better than any Haryo-spawn you would lie with!"

With a scream of fury, Clementine lunged at Tyuule, their swords clashing time and time again. "Die! Die! In the name of Emroy, die!"

"She seems rather ill-tempered," a familiar voice remarked as Harry began healing his wound.

Harry glanced at Rory, who seemed to be watching the bout with more than a little amusement. "And in other news, fire is hot. Where were you?"

"Oh, dealing with some would-be assassin trying to get to Hermione," Rory said with a shrug. "Hermione managed to handle her very well, but I administered the _coup de grace_. Not before interrogating her. Apparently Mydia there was the leader of the anti-Tyuule faction, but she wanted to gain support gradually. Unfortunately, Clementine and Renner didn't take too well to your humiliation of them yesterday, and so…well, what do they say about empty vessels and making noise? So, they've acted rather rashly."

Suddenly, Tyuule got a gash to her arm. Clementine's grin was vicious, despite the fact that she already had more injuries. "I've won, whore," she hissed. "The venom of a hydra is rather hard to get, but worth every coin. A pity I couldn't spare enough for that dagger I threw at the warlock."

Harry felt his blood run cold at that. He had a full stock of antidotes back in his trunk, but if he interfered with this fight, things would go badly. He knew Tyuule needed to prove to the tribe that she was capable of leading, that she was a strong warrior, but was it worth her life?

And there was something else welling up inside him. He knew he had been attracted to her since the very moment they met, and he had been concerned for her wellbeing as long. But he realised, in that moment, that he truly loved her, this strong woman who fought for her people, who sacrificed so much of herself, only to be shown this ingratitude, this treachery in return.

Tyuule glared back at her opponent, even as she clutched her arm in agony. "Stooping so low as to use poison? You contravened our sacred laws, Clementine."

"The unworthy do not deserve any such consideration!" Clementine screamed, before she dashed at Tyuule again. "DIE LIKE THE WHORE YOU ARE!"

Tyuule dodged to the side as Clementine, emboldened by what she thought was inevitable victory, dashed at her. Tyuule, however, carved a deep wound into Clementine's abdomen as she passed, causing the bloody ropes of intestine to tumble out. Clementine screamed in agony as she dropped her sword, struggling in a futile attempt to put her bowels back in, before she tried to grab at Tyuule, eyes wide in fury and agony, screaming, "I'LL KILL YOU, WHORE!"

Tyuule merely thrust her sword through her opponent's chest. "May Hardy torment you for eternity, Clementine," she sneered back.

Clementine tried to retort, only to cough up a great gout of blood into Tyuule's face, before sagging to the ground. Tyuule glared down at her opponent contemptuously, before glaring at the crowd. Then, she turned back to Harry, beginning to pant as discoloured veins began to appear around her gash. "If you can help me now, Honoured Sorcerer, now would be the right time to…time to…" And then, her eyes rolled up in the back of her head, and she collapsed, caught by Delilah, vomiting copiously.

"Tyuule!" Harry screamed. Then, he yelled at Delilah, "Take my hand, we need to get her to my trunk now!"

Delilah nodded, and grabbed onto his arm. Then, he Apparated. Time was of the essence, if he could save Tyuule's life…

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Oh dear. Shit's gone down.**

 **Now, I wrote this chapter specifically to address a potential issue.** ** _GATE_** **does have a certain air of a 'mighty whitey' story, and I knew that, if I wasn't careful, this story could go the same way too. I'm trying to show that Harry, while a boon to the tribe, still caused discontent, but also that Tyuule is not a bad queen, at least by Bunny Warrior standards. If it weren't for Clementine being an idiot, Tyuule, by revealing part of the truth (that she took the initiative in binding Harry to herself), would have defused the situation. And if you think it's OOC for Tyuule to call Clementine a bitch, remember that she's in the middle of battle, and canon Tyuule is, albeit understandably, a vicious bitch herself, so there is something in her there capable of that, even when she's not at her lowest.**

 **Admittedly, a lot of this culture, I made up, basing it off other warrior tribes in fiction (the most prominent that comes to mind are the Fremen from** ** _Dune_** **, which, incidentally, remains one of my all-time favourite books), and I'm not sure whether it corresponds with their culture as we see in** ** _GATE_** **, but I didn't see much of their culture in the episodes I've seen so far, and I do have to treat what I see in fanfics with a pinch of salt. I actually had to hurriedly revise a few parts from the earlier chapters after watching a couple of episodes that actually show the Bunny Warriors' city/town briefly.**

 **However, I decided that any actual antagonism of humans has been over and done with years before, for the most part. The Bunny Warriors generally hunt and trade rather than raid (unless they're troublesome Imperials). I think of their society as basically being not unlike the Celts in some regard, when they settled down. But on the other hand, they are also still semi-nomadic, in that they leave the settlement and go on long-ranged expeditions for hunting and trading, as well as finding consorts. They're not a utopia by any means, but I view them as a different kind of civilisation to the Roman-like Saderan Empire, and probably generally more accepting of other races. As Delilah and Mamina show, they prove themselves to be fiercely loyal to the Formals, despite what other humans did to them.**

 **Review-answering time!** **comodo50** **: No, that is fanon. sakurademonalchemist uses that trope quite a lot, but I generally avoid using that bit of fanon.**

 **Guest** **: Yes, Norma is HIS name. I'm guessing he, like a lot of the Rose Knights, was named after an alcoholic beverage. It took some time to find his name, too. I just knew him as the blonde Rose Knight red shirt who got killed at Italica.**

 **1\. I named Mydia after a Viera who was (admittedly unwillingly) the villain in** ** _Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings_** **.**


	9. Chapter 8: Recovery

**CHAPTER 8:**

 **RECOVERY**

Finding an antidote was easy enough, at least for now. He had more than a few bezoars ready, and had managed to get Tyuule to swallow one and keep it down. Whether it did any good against hydra venom, it was hard to tell, but it might help. Delilah, meanwhile, had put on a pressure bandage on the affected arm, though that could only buy them time, as hydra venom tended to spread quickly. He put a bandage on the wound proper, intending to heal it only when he was sure that he could save her (anyway, the blood loss was minimal, especially compared to the poison). "Will that do any good?" Delilah asked as they watched Tyuule spasm and writhe on the bed, emitting strangled noises of pain.

"Magical bezoars are a sort of universal antidote to most poisons, as long as they're found within a goat's stomach that has fed on grass at a leyline convergence," Harry said, thinking privately to himself, _Fuck you Snape, you uninformative bastard_. Out loud, he continued, "Hermione actually found out that some normal bezoars can help one with arsenic poisoning(1). At the very least, this should stabilise Tyuule. Assuming she isn't allergic. Merlin, I hope not."

"Should I get Hermione, just in case?" Delilah asked.

"Yeah. Actually, I'll send a Patronus. No, shit, can't use them in an expanded trunk." He then slapped his head. "Dammit, I'm an idiot!" he snapped. "So simple…FAWKES!"

In a flash of flame and a melancholy and yet uplifting song, the magnificent flame-coloured form of Fawkes, the Phoenix once bound to Albus Dumbledore, appeared. "Fawkes…I know it's a bit of an ask, but…Tyuule's dying. She needs your tears. Please…help her!"

The magnificent bird nodded, trilling his acceptance. He then began weeping gently into the wound as Harry removed the makeshift bandage. Harry then undid the pressure bandage gently, allowing the Phoenix tears to circulate. Within seconds, Tyuule's writhing and spasming eased, and the black lines surrounding her wound, which in itself wasn't that serious, began to fade.

"It'll scar," Delilah mused, looking at the gash, now being healed by Harry. And already there was an ugly weal. "Nothing wrong with a good scar," the Bunny Warrior added. "But it's one thing to bear a scar one has gained from battle…and another to bear one caused by treachery."

"Well…at least we match," Harry said, tapping his own arm, where the scar from the Basilisk bite remained.

Delilah chuckled, albeit somewhat forcedly. She knew about that little battle, as Harry, on prompting from Tyuule, had actually divulged that story. "I daresay that Tyuule never faced off against a Basilisk. I pray she never has to. Still…what happened today should buy us some time, at least for the moment. Mydia and her allies have lost the advantage thanks to Clementine's foolishness and dishonour. Harry, I will go and tell everyone that Tyuule is fine for now. Keep an eye on her."

"You don't need to tell me," Harry said quietly.

As Delilah left, Harry gently stroked the sweat-soaked brow of Tyuule, who remained unconscious. Fawkes trilled a sad song quietly. "I'm beginning to understand how the fuck your old master felt," Harry said, shooting Fawkes a look. Fawkes looked askance at Harry. "I mean…I hate what he did to me…but I think I understand more of the responsibilities he had. Though in the unlikely event he comes back from the dead…I'm still kicking him in the nuts. Over and over again. Can't do that with a shade summoned by the Resurrection Stone." Fawkes trilled in a rhythmic fashion that could have been a chuckle.

* * *

The next few minutes were spent in silence, until Rory came in, sitting down next to Harry. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I hope so," Harry said. "Where's Hermione?"

"Being held back by Delilah from attacking Mydia and her minions," Rory said. "She took it very personally. You're bleeding, you know."

"Just a nick. Anyway, it was Tyuule I was worried about."

Rory chuckled softly. "Hermione was right. You really do have this martyrdom complex, what she calls your 'saving people thing'. Many who invoke the name of Emroy and Hardy do so because they desire to kill in their name. Not because they truly have a cause to fight for. But you…you are truly that selfless. When you said you would help me if Hardy ever came for me…you meant every word. Even though fighting against one like Hardy would be nigh-impossible, especially for a mortal. Someone with such conviction and a desire to help others is a rare thing. I have lived for over nine centuries, and while I come across many helpful people, few have a fighting spirit as strong as yours. I could feel you champing at the bit to deal with Clementine." She leaned in close to his ear, and murmured, "I like you, Harry Potter. Ah, if only you didn't hate this childish body of mine…I would demand Tyuule share with me."

"…I'm not a paedophile, even if you're technically centuries old. Anyway, can't you ask Emroy to give you an adult body or something?"

"Sadly, that is the price one pays when one is chosen to become an Apostle," Rory said ruefully, looking down at her body. "I was too young to know what I was missing out on. But when one needs to devote one's self to service in the name of a god, there are prices to pay. I don't regret becoming an Apostle, just that I did so at this age. I envy Tyuule for having your eyes on her. And not just that. She's a strong woman, you know, but she can't be strong all the time. She can't protect herself all the time. Queens and Kings may have to stand apart from those they rule, but they do not have to stand alone. Strength comes through unity with others as well as individual strength. This does not necessarily mean uniformity like the Empire, for homogeneity can be a weakness. Rather, it is unity in spite of differences, indeed, celebrating them."

"I wish I could say we were more enlightened in that regard back home. I mean, we are more than the Saderan Empire…well, mainstream Britain, anyway. But Magical Britain? And racism and sexism are still alive and well back home, even if we don't really have demi-humans, unless Goblins and Mermaids and Centaurs count." He chuckled. "Though a lot of them would probably get a lot of attention back home. Bunny women, catgirls, Elves…God, I hope the House Elves back home weren't actually made from the Elves here or something."

She shook her head, reaching out and stroking Fawkes' own, who trilled contentedly. "No. In all likelihood, they were servants of a different kind of Elf, a servitor class that stayed around long after the other Elves left your world. They do sound familiar somehow. After all, a Gate allows two-way travel. I'm surprised that your Unspeakables don't have records of it somewhere. Anyway, you're right. It's human nature…no, the nature of any sentient being, to covet, hate and fear, just as it is to enjoy, to laugh and love. We Apostles, in one regard, are caretakers, gardeners of this world. A balance of sorts is needed, albeit a dynamic one, one where stagnation should not happen, though to tell the truth, I think it has. Still…your presence here is interesting. You, Hermione and Luna…you are like stones thrown into a pond. The ripples may not be big at first, but how they interact with the pond, ah, nobody can know. Time will tell whether it's for the better. But I think you might make waves."

"I tend to do that."

"I'm sure you already have. Had Zorzal tricked Tyuule into surrender, what then? A diaspora of the surviving Bunny Warriors, survivors who would have despised her, given what you saw of Zorzal's plan. Tyuule would doubtless have been made into his personal fucktoy. Maybe it would have broken her, or maybe it would have awoken a desire for revenge so great, it could have potentially have brought down the Saderan Empire with it, and while the Emperor and his cronies are, frankly, a nasty sort to say the least, there are plenty of innocents who would suffer. The Emperor only cares enough about his people enough to give them… _panem et circenses_ , as I believe Hermione called it? Bread and circuses. And to those outside the capital…well, let's just say that killing bandits is a regular hobby of mine. Rather too regular, for those despoiled by them of their possessions, their dignity, and their lives. But there are many good people in the Empire, and indeed all of Falmart." She peered at him with her crimson eyes. "Do good for them, Harry Potter."

And with that, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, like the child she appeared to be, before strutting out the door.

* * *

Harry wasn't sure how long he spent standing vigil over Tyuule, before finally, her crimson eyes flickered open, and then focused on Harry. "Harry?" she asked, her voice rasping a little from her pained cries earlier. She sat up, a little uneasily.

"Hey, take it easy, Tyuule," Harry said. "You're alive."

"I must be. I hurt too much and taste vomit in my mouth for this to be Elysium or Asphodel, and you wouldn't be here if this was Tartarus or the Plains of Erebus(2). I would hope that I would go to Erebus, as that is Emroy's demesne, and Clementine goes to Tartarus." She peered at Fawkes. She had met the Phoenix before, having used him to ferry supplies and messages from Earth. And she knew about Harry's battle in the Chamber of Secrets. "I see. So you gave me your tears. Thank you, Fawkes."

"Merlin, Tyuule…I was worried I had lost you," Harry said, gently hugging Tyuule, trying to avoid hurting her by touching her still-tender arm or hugging too hard. Now, instead of Fawkes' tears, his own began to flow, rubbing her back gently. "I know you need to fight them yourself by the traditions of your tribe but still…bloody hell, I was worried."

He felt her hand on his own back as she returned the hug. "I'm sorry for worrying you…but as Queen, I have responsibilities to uphold, and I did not think that Clementine would stoop so low as to poison her blade, and with hydra venom no less. Don't worry. I doubt any would be foolish enough to try again."

"They'd better not. You're in no condition to fight," Harry said, wondering briefly if he had just channelled Pomfrey.

She chuckled, breaking away from their embrace, and putting a hand on his cheek, smiling. "This is the second time you have saved me."

"I don't think we're keeping score. Seriously, I was half-tempted to fight her myself, calling you a whore," Harry said in disgust. "Anyway, you can look after yourself pretty well. But…we'll fight side by side when we can."

Tyuule nodded, before getting to her feet shakily. "Take me outside. I need to see my people…"

* * *

Tyuule made her appearance to her people, with Mydia swearing not to challenge her again, for now, and Pina, who had been kept apprised of the situation, had offered her apparently sincere relief at her recovery. Then again, if Tyuule had died, then someone may have had the opportunity to kill Pina. Hermione certainly was targeted during the challenge, and she was now redoubling her preparations to leave to meet Cato El Athelstan. Not out of fear per se, but she was acutely aware that if one of Mydia's followers or a likeminded person decided to use her as leverage against Harry, things would get complicated. Plus, there were the Rose Knights to consider. They may not try to assassinate Harry or Hermione, but they were here to spy for the Emperor, and the less magic they showed them, the better.

Still, as Tyuule snuggled into Harry's side that night, they knew that something had changed in the relationship between them. The intimacy, the _closeness_ between them became easier, and while the warmth between them was already undeniable, it had grown exponentially. They knew now that love existed between them, even if it hadn't before. Soon, they'd take the final steps.

"We need to do something about this," Harry said quietly. "I despise what the Empire does as much as many others here do. What happens to runaway slaves from the Empire, for example?"

"Most get recaptured. Others join Count Formal, or one of the criminal groups in the capital. If they're halfbreed demi-humans, they typically join the Haryo. Sometimes, one of the Elves' villages take them in, though given how isolationist they can be…though the Rurudo also take some in, depending on what they're like."

"Rurudo?"

"A group of Hume nomads. Remember the apprentice of Cato El Athelstan? Hermione told me that Luna apparently learned of this girl being from the Rurudo. But what is your point?"

"My point is…maybe we should seriously consider disrupting the Empire's slavery business. We'd have to do it in a way that doesn't get the Empire's attention too much, but still…"

Tyuule hummed thoughtfully. "We've done that before on a smaller scale, true. The thing I'm worried about is reviving Zorzal. Molt may keep him on a short leash, but Zorzal would not be the one to allow a slight to remain for long."

"The treatment we'll give Molt to administer to his son takes months to work, and could take longer if Molt gets suspicious. Or if we leave out certain steps designed to shorten the process. It'd be a year at least, and that's without going into the physical therapy needed, so he'll be out of action for a bit too. Coming out of a coma after a year isn't something you can walk off, unless you've got wizarding potions." Then, after a moment, Harry smirked. "Besides, if I can, I'll slip in a prank potion of my father's devising."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. When he hears certain words, or thinks ill of certain people…well, let's just say he'd better have a toilet within running distance."

"Childish, cruel, and crude," Tyuule sniffed. Then, she smiled. "I like it. Can we make him impotent too?"

Harry smirked maliciously. "Or make it so he has priapism all the time. You know, the complete opposite, only it's painful and embarrassing."

Tyuule matched his smirk. "Harry Potter, are you sure you're not a malevolent sorcerer who has bewitched me? Because that is so cruel and yet so…fitting."

Harry stroked his love's ears gently, marvelling at the sensation of them. "I think we bewitched each other…"

 **CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Tyuule has been saved…again, and she and Harry are growing closer, and considering plans for the future. I think that we can safely, at this point, skip ahead to the beginning of** ** _GATE_** **canon. That being said, I'm going to let this fanfic stew for a couple of days before I post the next few chapters.**

 **Review-answering time!** **hakon2feb** **: Mydia is more concerned with the safety of her tribe as a whole, whereas Clementine and Renner were just discontented. If she thinks Tyuule will be best where she is now, then she will support her. She is more of someone who doesn't like humans in general, but she will be a valuable, if tricky, ally to Harry and Tyuule.**

 **Jostanos** **: *groan* And the Thing was actually being held in a sort of town square, in the open air. I should've made that clearer.**

 **Guest** **: Actually, I got that right by chance. I know, thanks to an episode of** ** _QI_** **, that there IS a difference. The episode in question was** ** _Food_** **, and the question was: 'Name a poisonous snake'. Jimmy Carr promptly answered 'Piers Morgan', and got a klaxon for his troubles. Though that whole Basilisk venom/Phoenix tears in Harry's blood is one of the more bullshit fanon theories, one I never use. I do use the House Elf symbiosis fanon theory, but that's because it makes better sense to me.**

 **1\. While this is obviously a 'don't try this at home' deal, Wikipedia did state that researchers recently tested how effective bezoars could be against arsenic compounds, and were surprised that it absorbed them. How effective that would actually be in reality, well, I've no idea, and I decided to add that bit about goats eating grass at leylines to give a more plausible reason for a bezoar to be effective in the Potterverse.**

 **2\. Elysium, Asphodel and Tartarus are the main Greco-Roman afterlives, corresponding roughly to Heaven, Limbo, and Hell respectively. Given the Greco-Roman slant of** ** _GATE_** **, I decided to borrow from there. The deity Erebus is also listed as relating to the afterlife, so I chose that as the name of Emroy's domain, being basically not unlike Valhalla.**


	10. Chapter 9: Premonition

**CHAPTER 9:**

 **PREMONITION**

 _Three years later_ …

Hermione watched as the petite girl with silvery-blue hair concentrated with her spell, before firing it off, a great thundercrack tearing through the nearby trees. Nearby, a grizzled older man, short, but with serious features, looked on, and nodded with approval. "Very good, Lelei. It seems that you have become quite the innovator."

The girl, her cute features almost always stoic, bowed to the older man. "Thank you, Master Cato. But…I believe that the words of one of the researchers of Hermione's world is apposite: _If I have seen further, it was by standing on the shoulders of giants._ "

Isaac Newton's words, Hermione reflected. Then again, while Newton was a genius, he was also a nasty piece of work. Some had thought that those words were a snarky remark at then correspondent Robert Hooke, who was rather slight in appearance. But the words themselves were a good truism, that new discoveries were generally built on those of the old.

Meeting with Cato and his apprentice Lelei was a godsend to Hermione. All this time, she realised, she was looking for someone to teach, but her bossy demeanour had turned more than a few people off. But Lelei hung on her every word, and even Cato, for all his age and occasional perversity (though he toned it down once Hermione made it clear she was not interested and that she would not be averse to severing body parts), viewed himself as a student of the science and magic of Earth, while Hermione absorbed what teachings she could get from the two. Combining science and magic, particularly the magic of this world, was cutting edge research.

Hermione had to admit, she was somewhat jealous of Lelei. While Hermione was brilliant in many regards, Lelei was a _genius_ , and she was only fifteen. Lelei eclipsed Hermione's intellect at that age. Admittedly, that was partly due to the blessings she received from Elange and Ral, which Hermione did view as a kind of cheating…though she managed to gain some of those blessings herself.

But Hermione viewed Lelei as a younger sister by now, and Lelei, in her own quiet way, viewed Hermione as an older sister as well. Though she already had one, a researcher in Rondel called Arpeggio, an alchemist and geomancer. Hermione had sent her a spell she could use from her world to copy books, as well as designs for a printing press…and was soon sent back a letter in praise. Indeed, the printing press was already making a splash in Rondel, and across Falmart in general.

Little by little, they were bringing innovations to Falmart, ones that, while they would have substantial changes, would not be as dangerous as, say, weapons like a gun would be. Lelei and Cato were aware of them, thanks to the books that Hermione had brought across, but they also recognised the deadly danger they could pose, especially if the Empire got their hands on them. But, thanks to some strategically placed ideas from Harry, Hermione, and Luna, new ideas of medicine, particularly hygiene, were gradually making themselves known. Count Formal was the only one inside the Empire to take up these ideas wholeheartedly, and Italica was now the envy of Falmart in some regards. However, Rondel took up some, and many places not affiliated with them, like Elf settlements and the Bunny Warriors, still took them up. And there was also King Duran of Elbe, one of the more reasonable rulers of the Empire's vassal states.

Sirius and Yao divided their time between the Dark Elf settlement and the Bunny Warrior's settlement. Indeed, Yao was sometimes roped in as a babysitter, a job she had performed before with her own people. Hermione thought that there was a somewhat darker edge to Yao's personality at times, but she was, in the end, a good person who cared about her people.

As for Luna…well, Luna mostly spent her time at the nearby High Elf settlement. She was even the lover of an Elf girl there called Tuka Luna Marceau. The two occasionally came to Coda Village to trade, almost always in the company of Tuka's father, Hodor. Hermione thought Tuka a little too naïve for her liking, despite the fact that Tuka, at over 160 years old, was actually over a century older than her, but she was a nice girl all the same, and a wonderful musician. What was more, through her and Hodor, Hermione learned more about the spiritual magic the High Elves used.

And Harry? Well, things had changed quite a bit where he was concerned. He had started up a covert organisation meant to erode the Empire, particularly its slave trade. The Bunny Warriors, over time, had made their settlement, still hidden by the Fidelius, a sanctuary for runaway slaves. What was more, Harry had begun to target slave traders and bandits who specialised in human trafficking.

As yet, the Emperor was yet to make the connection between the Bunny Warriors and this new group. Indeed, he suspected Count Formal of being involved, given Formal's liberal (by the standards of this world) views on such things, and while Formal was indeed involved, he was more of a contact of this organisation, which Harry, in a fit of impish humour, named Asterix, after the warrior Gaul from the French comics who resisted the Roman Empire alongside his village.

But that wasn't the only change to Harry's situation. He had become a father.

Fran and Balthier Potter(1) were twins, and, improbably, a sister and a brother, with Harry managing to give Tyuule a rare (for the Bunny Warriors) son. In addition, he had a daughter, Lily, courtesy of Delilah. All three, thanks to Hermione testing them, were shown to be magical. And partly because of that, Mydia's faction had now calmed down, and, for the most part, had given up their designs on replacing Tyuule.

In any case, a tentative peace existed for now between the Bunny Warriors and the Empire, albeit one that was fragile, and would doubtlessly break soon. Prince Zorzal recovered from his coma some time ago, but was being kept on a relatively tight leash by his father, partly because they could not find the Bunny Warriors' settlement, thanks to the Fidelius, and partly because the Empire was mobilising its forces for something big. What was more, with the relationship between Pina Co Lada and the Bunny Warriors, not to mention the auxiliary unit under Count Formal, Molt Sol Augustus was keeping his cards close to his chest. Zorzal, instead, contented himself with training himself harder and harder. What was more, rumours had started that he had joined forces with the Haryo, amongst other darker organisations, including at least one of the gangs in charge of the slums of the capital.

And as for Pina and her Rose Knights? Their star was gradually rising within Empire politics, even if their missions were mostly ceremonial. However, they were also the only Imperial envoys that the Bunny Warriors trusted, even if only to small degrees. Hermione had chuckled a little when she got one letter from Harry stating that Bozes had finally dislodged the stick up her arse. As for Pina, Harry and Tyuule were gradually but surely opening her eyes up to the various injustices of the Empire, and while she was still very much a patriot, she also was no longer blind to her father's attitude towards his vassals and towards slavery. Sometimes, the Rose Knights would make forays into the slums of the capital, working to try and better the lot of the people there, albeit with mixed results. Interestingly, one of Pina's allies was another older brother, Diabo, known for being rather shifty with his allegiances.

Hermione, however, was worried. Rory had recently come to her, and had found out that the Gate Hardy opened on occasion was due to open soon, and the Imperials probably intended to take advantage. Therefore, she sent a message to the Unspeakables back home. She had already warned them about the Gate, but there was also the possibility of the Gate opening up somewhere on Earth soon now, and that meant trouble. She'd warned Harry and Luna, along with Sirius.

Hermione was brought out of her reverie by Lelei. "Hermione, are you still troubled by what the Oracle told you? That the Empire may attack your world?"

"Of course I am," Hermione said quietly. "Given the way they operate, the Empire will bite off more than they can chew. But it will not be a battle, not once the armed forces of whatever country they hit arrive. It'll be a one-sided massacre. I feel sorry for anyone actually conscripted into the army, who don't rape and pillage just because they feel like it, only to get mowed down by a machine gun. And there's still a number of regional conflicts on our world. And imperialism is still around in our world, even if we like to think it died with the British Empire. Still, with any luck, if something like that does happen, and they send other people through, it will be a reasonable military."

Cato harrumphed. "No army is perfectly disciplined," he remarked. "And given the way the armies here act, well, the concept of this…Geneva Convention, didn't you call it? They wouldn't know. The Empire certainly wouldn't be signatories. People would be frightened. To pillage, despoil and rape is the prerogative of many a soldier here. I'm not saying it is right, only that it is so entrenched in the psyche of the soldiers here in Falmart that it would be hard to persuade them otherwise. They consider the spoils of war to be the bounty given to them by Emroy, no matter how much Rory Mercury tries to disabuse them of that notion."

"Not to mention that the Imperial Army punishes deserters and what they believe to be cowardice harshly," Lelei said in her soft monotone.

"They punish desertion back home too," Hermione said. "But from what I heard, they're more careless about soldiers' lives in general here. I hope they don't send Count Formal or that Bunny Warrior auxiliary unit against them. Then again, the unit is meant for recon, intelligence gathering and assassination."

"Bunny Warriors are indeed fierce warriors in open combat, but as you know, their specialty is in stealth and assassination," Cato remarked. "Still, while the likelihood that the auxiliary itself is sent is low, Count Formal does rule a number of estates, and he will probably be called upon to join the punitive force with whatever men he can muster. So too will the local lords."

"And what if they fail?"

Cato rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, if your claims of how devastating firearms is are accurate, then depending on the size of the punitive force, which will comprise a sizeable part of the Imperial Army, then, well, knowing the Emperor, he'll probably send the vassal states to defend Alnus Hill. Partly to sacrifice as many of their forces as possible so that he can prevent an uprising, really. If they are wiped out, then he'll resort to scorched earth tactics to halt the enemy advance. Not that that would work, given the vehicles your people can make and the supply chain they can set up. And the gods help us if your people do decide to bring in these…nuclear weapons you speak of."

"Nuclear weapons' use are banned by international treaty, I doubt they'd get away with using them even on another world. And in any case, there's no guarantee the Gate will end up on Earth," Hermione said. "Still, I hope you're wrong about what Molt does. If you're right, then Asterix will have a lot of work to do…"

* * *

On a cliff, Rory Mercury looked down at the distant Alnus Hill. Already, a sizeable contingent of the Saderan Empire's army had gathered. Ooh, they seemed so much like ants, waiting for a boot to crush them. And there it was, the Gate. Hardy had brought it into being, but the mages of the Empire were tampering with it, to hold it open for longer. And while Rory thought that anything interfering with Hardy's designs was a good thing, the truth was, by doing this, they intended to try and launch a prolonged campaign against what lay on the other side.

Rory licked her lips. She hoped that they did end up on Earth. Not because of the loss of civilian lives, as Rory despised that. But the Empire had grown indolent and convinced of its own superiority. Being beaten back by the Bunny Warriors had challenged that…and an Earth military would crush it.

Hermione, Harry and Luna spoke of so many wonderful machines of war, of tanks and helicopters and fighter jets, of weapons like mortars and bombs and firearms. Purveyors of horror and gore. True, she did have some qualms about the weapons of mass destruction created on Earth, of plagues and poisons, aka biological and chemical weapons, as well as the devastating power of a nuclear weapon. But the stuff that wasn't what they called weapons of mass destruction…ooh, she looked forward to seeing them in action.

She heard the flapping of wings behind her, and knew who it was without having to turn around. "Giselle…I'd say this is an unexpected pleasure, but it is neither unexpected…or a pleasure. What do you want, sister?"

Giselle wasn't actually her biological sister (she was a Dragonid, a demi-human with draconian features like wings and horns), but the Apostles referred to each other as siblings when addressing each other. "So rude, Rory. Can't I say hello?"

"The few times we have met of late, you have attempted to force me to join your mistress in the chthonic realms," Rory said coldly. "The last time you were remotely civil was when you told me of the arrival of those mages from Earth. Actually, they're quite good company, so Hardy has my thanks for that much at least. But your mistress fails to realise that no means no. I am the emissary of Emroy, not the bride of Hardy, no matter what her delusions are."

"You dare call the great Lady Hardy delusional?!" snarled Giselle. "Then it seems there is no reasoning with you. She has given you ample opportunities to come to her willingly, but you fail to realise that you cannot refuse a god."

"I am the Apostle of Emroy. How am I going to be doing my duty while your mistress molests me?" Rory retorted, turning to face Giselle. The blue-skinned, white-haired Dragonid was dressed in what basically looked like skimpy white lingerie. While older in appearance by a few years, Giselle was actually under half Rory's. "Learn your place, Giselle. Remember who is the senior Apostle here."

Giselle sneered. "It is you who will learn your place, sister. You will come whimpering to my mistress' side soon. _Whimpering_. You think those mages of yours can help you? They're only human. I see the affection you have for them. Maybe I should go and…" Suddenly, Giselle choked up a great gout of her blood, dropping her scythe, realising that Rory had impaled her with her halberd at lightning speed.

"Harry killed a supposedly immortal being before," Rory remarked casually, only the coldness of her tone betraying her fury. "I wonder if, given the right incentive, he could kill one of us? He does have those tools left behind by your mistress so carelessly. Maybe they'd be able to kill you off for good. And even if he can't kill you, should you piss him off…" She twisted the halberd, making her rival gargle a bloody cry of agony. "I think he will make you **_wish_** for the dark embrace of your mistress. He and I are siblings, bound not by blood but by friendship. He may not be able to love me the way I want him to, but…I find myself content with that. You say there is no reasoning with me? All this time, I have been reasonable. I have been polite, gentle. Try this again, or hurt anyone I care about…and, well, Hermione was telling me about this rather sadistic ruler from Earth, Vlad Tepes. A rather gauche writer called Bram Stoker made him a vampire called Dracula. He loved impaling his enemies on stakes. And not necessarily through the chest or stomach, either."

With that, Rory pulled on the halberd, flipping Giselle on it, and then slammed the halberd on the cliff she was looking down on, jerking Giselle free, and sending her falling down the cliff, hitting the rocks on the side as she went. Rory winced, despite herself, when she heard what had to be one of Giselle's wings snapping. Then, her neck snapping. Oh, that was _not_ pleasant to recover from, Rory knew from experience.

Then again, considering the fate Giselle seemed dead-set on delivering Rory to, Rory was hoping that some operant conditioning (that was what Hermione called it, or Pavlovian training) might actually sink through that thick horned skull of Giselle's. Do not try to abduct Rory on behalf of the creepy chthonic deity, or you will end up in a lot of pain.

Rory peered over the side, and saw a lot of blood spatter, and the twisted and partly-exploded body of Giselle on the rocks below. "Are you okay?" she called out to Giselle. Not out of any actual concern, just salting the wounds a little.

Her right arm, the only limb of Giselle remaining intact, showed her the gesture known as the _digitus impudicus(_ _2)_. Rory nodded. "Yeah, you're okay," she said quietly, smirking, before taking Giselle's scythe and throwing it down to her, accidentally on purpose impaling her with it through what remained of her abdomen. She decided to head off before Giselle regenerated. Still, perhaps her point had finally been made…

 **CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Pfft. Yeah, right. Still, Hermione's thought about what has happened, and Rory has engaged in some dark comedy with Giselle. Because fuck her and fuck Hardy. Seriously, Hardy is basically Hades with the vindictiveness, immorality and sexual appetite of Zeus, isn't she?**

 **Review-answering time!** **AnimeA55Kicker** **: Yes, yes it is. And you should be ashamed.**

 **3697014** **: I'm crap at writing sex scenes, so no, no lemons.**

 **Kaiya Azure** **: I think that would make his desire for revenge even worse. Nice thought, though.**

 **Guest 1** **(regarding aging potions for Rory): I didn't think of that. Hmm, food for thought…**

 **Guest 2** **(regarding a lot of other issues): To what I know, deities in** ** _GATE_** **are incorporeal, but can possess the bodies of others if they wish.**

 **Y2013** **: Buggered if I know.**

 **1\. Fran is the main Viera character from** ** _Final Fantasy XII_** **, and Balthier, of course, is her lover and partner in crime. While Balthier is not a Viera in the game, I just thought, why not?**

 **2\. No, seriously, this is what they actually called flipping someone off in Roman times. The Finger actually dates back to Greek times, with the famous barrel-dwelling philosopher Diogenes apparently flipping someone off who annoyed him.**


	11. Chapter 10: The Gate Opens

**CHAPTER 10:**

 **THE GATE OPENS**

Anyone who said that fatherhood was easy should be shot, Harry thought. It wasn't that he didn't love his children, quiet Fran, mischievous Balthier, and temperamental Lily. But they weren't even two years old, and while they were fairly advanced for their age, that didn't necessarily make them more mature. Still, he thanked Merlin that they knew when to behave. And they were currently being watched by the maids of the Formal Estate while he and Tyuule spoke to Count Formal, along with Formal's youngest daughter, Myui.

It wasn't even a secret that Count Formal frequently hired demi-humans as paid servants. He was easily the most progressive of the nobles within the Saderan Empire proper, and a willing informant for the Bunny Warriors on the state of affairs within the Empire. Admittedly, his hiring of demi-human maids had quite a bit to do with a fetish for them, but he generally restricted himself to looking rather than touching. " _Many nobles collect works of art, statues, paintings, and so on_ ," he had once said to Harry. " _They neglect the beauty created by nature, works of art formed from nature. True, many do desire beautiful women…but they are not content with allowing their beauty to shine forth in their house without indulging in base instincts._ "

This wasn't to say that he didn't hire human servants: his elderly head maid, Kaine, was a refugee from a village brutally conquered by the Empire some decades before, and there were many human servants. But there were a number of Catgirls like Meia and Persia, Medusas like Aurea (basically Gorgons, but they were beautiful, without a petrifying gaze, but with a tendency to absorb lifeforce and memories through their snake hair), and, of course, Bunny Warriors.

They had been summoned here by Count Formal over a matter of importance. Not only had the Gate been confirmed as about to be opened, but Count Formal had been summoned to gather his soldiers to venture through the Gate.

"Of course, I cannot refuse a summons such as this," Count Formal said, rubbing his moustache. "And I will have to take the auxiliary unit with me, Your Majesty. But if by some unhappy chance we end up on Earth, what should we do?"

Harry frowned. "Surrender, really, if you can do it without getting backstabbed by the rest of the Imperial Army. Maybe you could send the auxiliaries away, supposedly to scout out the opposition, but to actually warn them. Rory warned us, and we've sent word to the Department of Mysteries back home. They've sent word to every magical government in the world, though whether they warn the Muggle governments of their countries is another matter. Croaker, our boss, has stated that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has been warned. Apparently MACUSA is warning President Dirrell of the US. Most of Europe, a good chunk of Asia outside China and Russia, Australia…if there's a Greco-Roman gate where it's not supposed to be, they're going to be ready. Dunno about Africa or the Americas outside the US and Canada."

"And this…English you speak…will they know it in other countries?"

"More than the mangled Latin people here mostly speak, though that's not much. Hmm…maybe I should give you a letter or something if you're captured. Aside from yourself and your staff, few people in the Empire know our alphabet. Which is weird, as our alphabet is derived from the Romans' alphabet. And if you're lucky, you'll end up somewhere where they'll adhere to the Geneva Convention, meaning that they'll treat prisoners of war fairly. Especially if you don't go killing civilians. Then again, given the existence of places like Guantanamo Bay, that may not work out. Our world pretends to be more civilised than most, but, well, human nature doesn't really change that much."

"For my sake and Myui's, I hope I do end up somewhere where I can negotiate the surrender of my soldiers. Unfortunately, it probably won't be that simple, not with Senator Godasen leading the punitive force."

"Godasen…" Tyuule mused. "A mage and one of the war hawks. Ambitious too. Unlike Cicero, you can't reason with him. I heard from our contacts within the capital that he was working to try and undo the Fidelius on our home. Encouraged by both the Emperor and Zorzal."

"Indeed. Rumour has it that recently, Zorzal purchased one of your people captured some time ago to use as his concubine, and bleached her fur so that she resembles you."

"…A few of us left the tribe in protest against me," Tyuule mused. "Mydia stayed, but Renner and a few of her supporters…" Tyuule shook her head. "Still, rumour has a tendency to be fabricated or exaggerated. I hope it isn't true. The thought of one of my people, or indeed anyone else, being the pleasure toy of that…monster…" The Bunny Warrior hissed in hatred and disgust towards Zorzal.

"In any case, regardless of where the Gate sends us, can I ask for your people's support towards my daughter?" Formal asked, changing the subject.

"Of course," Tyuule said. "Given her age, Myui is inexperienced with politics. What about Princess Pina?"

"I can count on her support, true, but she is still a supporter of the Empire, even if you have tempered her worldview," Formal said. "Still, the news that she and her older brother Diabo are in alliance is both heartening and concerning. Diabo is an inveterate schemer and an opportunist, not to mention a coward. Still, if he supports her, it may be that he's hoping to either have her support to claim the throne himself, or else put her there, and act as the power behind the throne. But there's a major obstacle in the way. Or rather, two: Molt Sol Augustus, and Zorzal El Caesar. What's more, Diabo isn't well-liked by most senators, and many dismiss Pina as being a would-be soldier, unsuited to her gender."

"A woman can be a warrior, even a human," Harry said. "You've met Hermione and Luna. There's Yao, and of course, I'd be remiss not to mention the love of my life and her people."

"Ahh, lucky man," Formal said with a smile. "And you are correct. The burdens of child-bearing aside, there's no reason for a woman to not be a warrior, save for the attitudes of men. Indeed, females of animals are often the most ferocious fighters, especially when defending their young. Why should it be any different with a being of reason? Why, look at the Apostle you associate with! The gods show no favour when it comes to gender and fighting, why should it be any different with mortals? Still, while Pina has the fire and the honour to be a warrior, she is still unprepared for the true realities of war."

"She had better hope she never experiences it," Harry said. "I experienced a civil war back home. It's not glorious. It's not honourable. It's just horrific and bloody. And not all wounds heal, especially the emotional ones."

Formal nodded solemnly. "Indeed…"

* * *

Their talk turned to lighter matters for a time, before Harry wrote some letters, in English, for Formal and the auxiliaries to carry. Then, Harry and Tyuule picked up their children, and used a Portkey to head back home. Then, after tucking the children away and getting them to go to sleep that evening, Tyuule called for a War Council.

After explaining the situation, Tyuule looked at the gathered Bunny Warriors. It was Mydia who broke the silence first. "Lady Tyuule," she said, "I have an idea. Should the Gate open onto a new world, their armies will bring back many captives. With your permission, I would intercept as many of these as I can."

"As long as it doesn't get traced back to Asterix, then fine. Use those bandit weapons you captured during the latest raid on the bandits operating near Italica. Use the Portkeys for a quick extraction. Leave no trace of Bunny Warrior involvement."

Harry nodded to himself absentmindedly. They had recently dealt with a group of bandits attacking the outlying farms within Count Formal's territories. The bandits had a few slaves, including a Siren by the name of Myuute Luna Sires. The avian demi-human had been, thankfully, not forced to become their sex toy, though the petite avian girl was a talented mage, used to protect the bandits during battle, and attack anyone who got too close with wind magic. She had surrendered, though, when most of the bandits had died, and Harry had used Legilimency to establish her bona fides. Myuute had been given a choice to either join Count Formal's household, or to join Asterix. She'd chosen the latter.

"Should we be as careful as before?" one of the other Bunny Warriors, one of Mydia's more measured supporters, asked. "If the Gate does open onto another world with advanced technology, then it means we can be bolder. After all, the Empire would be concentrating on stopping the advance of the enemy, and we can act with impunity."

"That would be true, but we have no guarantee that the Emperor won't send troops to attack us, let alone that the Gate will open onto a world like Earth," Tyuule said. "Should the incoming army be a friendly one, we will seek an alliance."

"And if they are unfriendly?" Mydia asked.

"We will consider what to do when the time comes. As our Honoured Sorcerer has already seen fit to enlighten us, there are still many belligerent states and terrorist organisations on his world who may see Falmart as an opportunity for conquest much like the Empire. Others may pretend to be liberators, but would conquer us if they believed they should. Not to mention criminal organisations with extensive reach. However, we also know about their weapons and technology. That already gives us an advantage that the Empire does not."

"How can we tell if they are friendly or not?" Parna asked.

"Firstly, they'll probably bring a flag with them, just like the knights here do. But instead of heraldry, it'd be a flag of their nation," Harry said, before conjuring up a number of flags as an image. "Those three at the top are the flags of the three main superpowers of the world: the United States of America, China, and the Russian Federation. The other three are the flag of my birth country, the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union and the United Nations. The EU isn't one country, but a collection of them."

"Like the Empire?"

"Not exactly. It's more like…a group for trade agreements and political alliance. I'm sorry, I never really paid attention to that. The UN is a governing body comprised of most if not all countries that deals with international issues. Of course, the flags are one thing, but how they treat people here is another. Militaries back home don't have a good track record lately, what with the War on Terror. Then again, the terrorists often disguised themselves as civilians. And that's another problem. If they get to negotiating with the Empire before we speak with them, the Empire may denounce us as terrorists as a ploy. All of this is assuming, of course, that the Empire attacks Earth."

"We're still grateful for your insight, Honoured Sorcerer," Mydia said, nodding in surprisingly genuine respect. While she still had designs on Tyuule's position, she was content to wait for now.

"Then our course is clear. If the forces coming through the Gate are friendly, then we will ally with them," Tyuule said.

"Ally, but not submit?" Mydia asked.

"Of course…"

* * *

Thus followed a tense several days of waiting. Then, finally, Harry, Hermione and Luna each got separate letters from the Department of Mysteries via House Elf. News that they had been dreading, but in a perverse way, inspired hope.

 _At 02:30 GMT (11:30 AM UTC+9) yesterday, a spatial distortion caused by magic was detected as forming within the Ginza District of Tokyo, Japan. A Greco-Roman structure was seen materialising, the Gate you warned us about. The Japanese Ministry instantly alerted both mundane and magical authorities, and a general evacuation was hurriedly organised. At 02:50 GMT, the Gate was fully materialised, and enemy forces emerged. Due to scepticism from many of the authorities, as well as heavy localised traffic due to a_ Doujinshi _Convention, the evacuation hadn't fully proceeded by the time the enemy forces attacked. However, we believe that many lives were spared due to forewarning. The local DMLE cooperated with police in initial efforts, until the Japanese Self-Defence Forces arrived._

 _Final casualty figures are still being compiled. However, nearly two hundred are already confirmed dead, and eyewitness accounts say that several Japanese citizens, as well as tourists, were abducted and taken through the Gate. If Asterix has any means of rescuing them at this time, then do so as soon as possible, and keep them safe._

 _In addition, one of the enemy commanders, one Count Colt Formal, as well as many of the soldiers under him, including the Bunny Warrior unit he commanded, has surrendered, with the letter you wrote found on his person. He and the others that capitulated are being treated well, but are being kept away from the other captured soldiers, who have expressed a desire to kill him for what they consider treachery._

 _The response of the Japanese government, as well as its allies in the United Nations on the mundane side and the ICW on the magical side, is still being considered and likely will be for weeks if not months. One of the many reasons, of course, being Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, as they had renounced their right to wage war after the Second World War. However, the Japanese and the US are currently in negotiations to allow a potential amendment to Article 9 in light of what happened._

 _In addition, given your involvement in the affairs of this world, there are rumours that elements of the Ministry here in Britain are calling for your recall to stand trial, for not doing enough to prevent this attack. Though given that most of those killed were Muggles, I think it's rather hypocritical, given that it's mostly the more rabid Purebloods calling for this. And their point is to try and seize Potter's monies from Gringotts, after having tried unsuccessfully before. However, there are more concerning developments here. This new Pureblood faction has learned of the Veil, and may attempt their own expedition through it. I'll compile a list of names of those to look out for._

 _I am forwarding on what information you have brought to us so far to Lieutenant General Kouichirou Hazama of the JSDF, who has been tentatively pencilled in as leader of any expedition beyond the Gate, as well as to Hideyo Komakado of Defence Intelligence Headquarters. The latter is also a notable member of the Japanese Ministry of Magic, and the main liaison between the Ministry and the DIH._

 _Vultures are already circling within parts of the Japanese government, both magical and mundane. Some view it as a chance to get more resources. MACUSA's also worried about Dirrell's ambitions in that regard, and there's some ominous mutterings within China and Russia already._

 _We'll notify you of any further developments as they happen._

 _Saul Croaker, Department of Mysteries_.

 **CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, the Gate has finally opened up in Japan. Which means that soon, we will come across Itami and company…**

 **Also, yes! I have finally surpassed Split-Girl's** ** _In Which Harry Ditches Everybody! Welcome to Ancient Culture Chop-Suey_** **in terms of favourites! Which means that this is the highest-ranked Potterverse/** ** _GATE_** **crossover…out of admittedly only three stories.**

 **Finally, before I get onto the review-answering, I'd like to plug one of my latest** ** _GATE_** **-related challenges. Not a full fic, but one of the challenges I post for other authors to take up in the forums of DZ2 and whitetigerwolf. I've actually posted a lot of** ** _GATE_** **challenges lately, with crossovers like** ** _One Punch Man, Doctor Who, Girl Genius_** **, and the Vorkosigan Saga. This latest one is pretty unusual, with** ** _Blackadder_** **. Imagine modern versions of the cast of** ** _Blackadder Goes Forth_** **instead of the JSDF…**

 **Review-answering time!** **claire nunnaly** **: No.**

 **KyonSmith13** **: Well, you'll see the fruits of at least one of her fields of research during the Flame Dragon attack. However, Lelei would probably prefer to see the applications of such things as well as the theory. And as it happened, I had written this chapter some time before you suggested that regarding Formal.**

 **jgkitarel** **: Hey, you have no argument from me. I pointed out that she is basically Hades with Zeus' immorality and hedonism.**

 **LoamyCoffee** **: Why Luna?**

 **hakon2feb** **: For all her bossiness, Hermione would make a much better teacher than Snape. She'd actually give a damn about teaching, for one, and Snape doesn't like teaching anyone he doesn't favour. Plus, I wrote the bit with Giselle falling off the cliff as some dark comedy. Given what she does on her mistress' behalf in canon, she deserves that and more.**

 **comodo50** **: And Hardy would probably do the same to any woman or girl who caught her eye.**

 **Celestia GF of the Void** **: She won't be ridiculously buxom if I do go down that path, but she will have enough to basically start prodding herself with glee. "AT LAST, I HAVE BREASTS!" Actually, I'd view her as looking like Irisviel von Einzbern from** ** _Fate/Zero_** **, only with black hair.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	12. Chapter 11: Noriko

**CHAPTER 11:**

 **NORIKO**

"How many?" Harry asked.

"A couple of dozen, all told," Mydia said as they walked to the hospital. "However, we think many remain at the Imperial camp at Alnus Hill, and others were sent to other regions. In addition, a few soldiers had taken them by horseback rather than by cart, so there may be some others who end up in the capital."

"…And their conditions?"

Mydia looked at him, her usual hard expression softening. "Most of them were not violated, if that's what you mean. Virgins fetch a higher price on the market. But I'm fairly certain a few were anyway. We interrupted one of the Imperial soldiers forcing himself on one of them. As for injuries, most have bruises and sprains, some cuts. A couple of concussions. Still…Honoured Sorcerer, should we try to rescue the others in the Alnus Hill camp?"

"If you can do so safely, yes. Do you know where they would be held?"

"Generally on the outskirts of the camp, so infiltration and extraction should be easier. However, some may have been taken to the tents of the higher ranking soldiers, and that might make things more difficult."

"Right, do what you can, and keep an eye on the slave dealers in the various towns and cities. We're not going to let this stand."

It had been a couple of days since the invasion of Japan, and now, Mydia and her group had managed to rescue some of the captives. Tyuule was with their children for now. Harry, given his better command of English, as well as his ability to use a translation charm, was being brought over to assist with communicating with the rescued people.

The hospital was a fairly small one, and at the moment, it was filled with Japanese, mainly women, who looked confused, frightened, and even a little angry. They looked up as Harry entered. "Excuse me?" he asked. "Does anyone here speak English?" He thought back to a phrase Hermione taught him when they found out about Japan being attacked, and asked, " _Eigo ga hanasemasu ka?_ "

The Japanese looked at each other in confusion and astonishment, before a girl in her late teens with short dark hair nodded. " _H-Hai_. I sp-speak English. I am M-Mochizuki Noriko…I m-mean, Noriko Mochizuki."

"Hi. I'm Harry Potter. Nice to meet you, Noriko. Look, I don't know how reassuring this is, but you're safe now."

"…How do you know English?"

"I was from England, originally. Noriko…if you're the best speaker of English here, I may need your help as a translator. I need the names of everyone present here. I can contact the authorities back on Earth. When the time is right, we will be returning you back home, I promise." Technically, he didn't need a translator, but better to keep a lid on his ability to use magic where possible, until it was necessary.

Noriko, after a moment, asked, "Mr Potter, was it? My family…do you know what happened to them?"

"The last I heard, the authorities in Japan are still trying to figure out who died and who were captured. However, the JSDF managed to beat back the invaders."

"Jay-Ess…Oh, you mean the _Jietai!_ " Noriko then looked rather shamefaced. "…I ran away from home. I think my parents were out looking for me. I could have sworn I heard their voices when…it happened." She began shivering. "If they died because of me…"

Harry gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Noriko…you're safe here. We're trying to find the others who were captured by these bastards. Now, please, could you help me by taking down your names, dates of birth, and home addresses? Once you do, I can send them to the authorities back on Earth. Do you think you can do that?"

The teenager rallied, nodding her head. " _Hai._ "

* * *

He soon had a list of names and details to send back to Earth, via Winky Express. Noriko, helpfully, had included them in Japanese and English. Then, Tyuule came along, with their children in tow. She was dressed fairly simply, but she wore a regal headband like she did for more formal occasions. The Queen of the Bunny Warriors knew English now, as did many other members of Asterix, but she spoke it the most fluently.

She stood in the middle of the ward, Harry and Delilah by her side, cradling Fran and Balthier, while Delilah had her hands on Lily. Then, she spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Japan. I am Queen Tyuule, leader of the Bunny Warriors."

Noriko translated the speech into Japanese, and this got the former captives' attention. After she finished, Tyuule said, "We have rescued you from the clutches of the Saderan Empire, the ones who attacked your country. However, we do not know how many more of you are out there, and we are working to rescue them."

She waited for Noriko to catch up, before adding, "We have some communication with your homeworld. We have sent back a list of your details to the authorities. If your loved ones survived, they will be notified. Also, if we have news of your relatives, good or bad…then we will notify you as soon as we can."

One of the Japanese asked a question plaintively, and Noriko translated, "Sadako wants to know when we can go home."

"I don't have an answer yet," Tyuule said bluntly. "The Saderan Empire controls the main gateway between your world and ours. In addition, our means of communicating with your world is based in the country you know as the United Kingdom rather than Japan. However, we will endeavour to bring you back to your world as soon as possible."

Noriko translated. One of the captives, one of the few men, shouted out a belligerent tirade. Noriko winced. "What did he say, Noriko?" Tyuule had been told of her name by Harry.

"…He stated that he hasn't got the time for this, as he has a project he needs to get done for his boss, and he thinks we're being kept as prisoners. He was also very rude."

Harry sneered in a passable imitation of Snape. "Tell him that his boss can wait a little while, and he can learn some patience. Otherwise, he can fuck off."

" _Bakayarou!_ " roared the man, who apparently understood enough English to understand an insult, who tried to get to his feet, only for Mydia to place her sword at his throat.

"Oh look, a universal sign for ungrateful fools to _shut up_ ," Mydia snarked.

"Mydia," Tyuule said sharply. Mydia clicked her tongue in irritation, before withdrawing her sword. "You are not prisoners, but arranging your transport back home will take time. It may be at least a few days. Or do you think that you can just snap your fingers and end up back home?"

A wave of nervous chuckles filled the room at Noriko's translation, though the belligerent man merely scowled. Then, Winky popped in, handing Harry a scroll. "This be Croaky's reply, Harry Potter."

"Thanks, Winky," Harry said to the House Elf, before she popped away. He read the scroll, and nodded. "Good news. The list of your names has been relayed to the Japanese government. Once we've checked you over for any medical issues we can deal with here, you will be sent to a special place in London for debriefing. From there, you will be sent back to Japan after a period of medical tests. You'll have to be kept in quarantine for a period, as there is the possibility of a disease from this world making it back there, but you will be allowed to communicate with any loved ones or friends you nominate via video chat."

 _Thank you, Croaker_ , he thought to himself. _The sooner we get these people back, the better_.

After Noriko translated this, there was a demonstrable relief of tension in the room, though the belligerent man looked dissatisfied. "How soon?" Noriko asked.

"A couple of days. It should also be long enough for them to see if any of your loved ones who were present during the attack survived…"

* * *

Unfortunately, they got some bad news the next day. Amongst the confirmed victims of the invasion were Noriko's parents and siblings. Harry was forced to relay this to the Japanese teenager, who was understandably distraught. A few others gained happier news.

Eventually, after doing medical checks, the go-ahead was given to send them back…but Noriko had other ideas. She begged to stay. Her only living relatives were rather harsh and strict paternal grandparents, who had given her grief over becoming a _ronin_ , despite trying so hard on her university entrance exams. It was part of the reason she had run away from home.

This, of course, set off a lot of correspondence between him and Croaker, who had to pass correspondence on to the Japanese government, mundane and magical. They even made contact with Noriko's grandparents, who washed their hands of her, saying that they didn't want to look after a failure of a girl.

Harry didn't see that, though. From what Hermione had told him, the Japanese had a very high pressure educational system. Noriko was actually very intelligent, she just didn't function well under pressure. Not at the level of Hermione or Luna, but once the shock of being in another world had receded, she began learning the local language. Then again, Harry thought she needed something to distract herself from what happened. She seemed to have some suicidal ideation given what happened, and being useful was mitigating that. Plus, meeting their children helped. She seemed to latch onto looking after them as a responsibility too.

Asterix managed to rescue a few more people, but they hadn't managed to account for all of those captured. Still, those they did manage to save, they repatriated. Harry hoped that they would be given the best of counselling for what they went through…

* * *

Hideyo Komakado was actually a decent man, for all the fact that he was effectively a spook, working for both mundane and magical sides of the Japanese government. He did affect a rather unlikeable, sleazy, sardonic attitude at times, but that was mostly to put people off-balance, by acting how they'd think someone from an intelligence agency would act…and thus protecting themselves in ways that he knew how to get around. But he was a good man doing dirty work, though frankly, the furore over such an egregious breach of the Statute of Secrecy was trying his patience.

The politicians both here in Japan and abroad were engaging in endless debate. Already, a limited disclosure of the existence of magic had been made to much of the Diet, as well as various governments across the world. Komakado was relieved that he didn't have to deal with that mess directly, but still, some Purebloods were making trouble. And a few members of mundane governments were making trouble too.

Still, many in the Diet had been appeased by the fact that Harry Potter, of all people, had played the hero on the other side of the Gate, and had rescued a number of their citizens. It seemed that, even after beating Voldemort and not getting his fairytale ending, he couldn't resist an innate calling to be a hero. Not unlike that JSDF reservist Youji Itami, the one the Prime Minister was giving a commendation and a promotion to 1st Lieutenant. Actually, Komakado admired the rather dorky otaku, who was apparently the son of a Squib (and thus knowledgeable about the wizarding world). Despite the fact that he was only in Ginza for a convention, he went to help the people straightaway. This belied his file, which stated that he was somewhat lazy, despite some fairly impressive achievements. Then again, he was noted to only have joined the JSDF reserves to support his otaku hobby and his wife…though the two were apparently in the middle of separating.

Of course, vultures were circling. Komakado knew that more than a few corporations were champing at the bit to get involved, particularly those that wanted to return to the pre-World War II era of the _zaibatsu_. And those were only the Japanese ones. The world beyond was apparently at a medieval level of society and technology, with very little exploitation of mineral resources such as oil, and certain metals that were only of use to advanced tech. He knew for a fact that President Dirrell of the US wanted to claim what was now being called 'the Special Region' as a form of new frontier to exploit. MACUSA was apparently trying to discourage Dirrell from outright exploitation, though, but apparently the magical governments in Russia and China were doing little to discourage their mundane leaders' ambitions.

And that fool Hojo wanted to send the JSDF into what was effectively a peacekeeping mission, though they intended to bring whoever sent the troops into Ginza to justice. _Hah_. Considering that, given Potter's information, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus was the one to do so, that wouldn't end well. It was like Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein. It was all very well to go in gung-ho and topple the dictator from his lofty perch…but what then? Maybe they could put Pina Co Lada on the throne in Molt's place, but that would probably still cause a lot of problems.

Komakado scoffed quietly. While he enjoyed cloak and dagger operations, he despised politics. And yet, politics were rearing their ugly head. He envied Harry, getting to play the hero with little complication. He just hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite him...

 **CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Noriko's been saved, and we've gotten an interesting look into the mind of Komakado. While at first I didn't like him, I actually came to like him. He's one of those characters you're not sure whether to like, or even what his allegiances are.**

 **Also, some purists about** ** _GATE_** **may be annoyed at how I treated Noriko's situation. I am sort of aware that, in the novels at least, that a Gate was opened shortly before the Ginza incident, and scouts abducted people. But I'm going mostly with the anime here, so I'm going with her running away from home prior to the Ginza incident, and her and her family being caught up in the whole mess at the same time. My fanfic, my rules. I haven't screwed things up entirely.**

 **Anyway, we'll be skipping ahead a few months to the beginning of** ** _GATE_** **proper. Which means we get to meet Itami! Yay!**

 **Review-answering time!** **comodo50** **: Maybe. Rory has a habit of turning Darwin Award nominees into Darwin Award winners…**

 **Kaiya Azure** **: There appears to be no such crossover. It'd be an interesting one. Actually, I'd prefer one that has more of the humour of the original manga. As much as I love** ** _Standalone Complex_** **, I prefer Motoko as she is in the manga, hence how I portrayed her in my Potterverse crossover** ** _Newport Mage_** **. Bit of shameless plugging there, BTW.**

 **LoamyCoffee** **: Fair enough, I just wanted clarification.**

 **myafroatemydog** **: Not until a MUCH later chapter. I have written up to Chapter 16, and we have hints of some Purebloods wanting to take action, as well as a possible reconciliation between Harry and Andromeda. But nothing major so far. Any British mage response in Falmart will wait until the second season's events begin.**

 **Detinc** **: You're welcome, and I hope you enjoyed the series.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	13. Chapter 12: Thus the JSDF Arrived There

**CHAPTER 12:**

 **THUS THE JSDF ARRIVED THERE**

 _A few months later_ …

1st Lieutenant Youji Itami wasn't sure what to expect. Hazama had apparently received warning that, shortly after their initial incursion into the Special Region, they would be receiving visitors. On the QT, Hazama had told him that a number of wizards from England had ended up in this world first. One of them was connected to the Bunny Warriors, a second was apparently living with High Elves, and a third was residing in a nearby village. It was through them that they had a lot of intelligence about the Special Region.

Itami was a bit anxious and even excited. True, he knew about the wizarding world, but never really got to see any of it, what with his mother chucked out of her family because she was a Squib. He had seen quite a few dragons, pigmen, ogres and the like when Ginza got attacked, but he wanted to meet some hot fantasy girls. Elves, catgirls…hell, even these Bunny Warriors. Well, technically, he had seen those who had surrendered to the JSDF, but those were just in pictures. He wanted to see them, to see that they were real with his own two eyes. Anyway, the base was told that, if a group of Bunny Warriors suddenly appeared with a human in tow at the front gates, they were to avoid shooting them.

Itami, shortly after dinner, was summoned by Hazama to his office, little more than a tent at this point, and beheld, for the first time in person, the Bunny Warriors. He wasn't disappointed. Tall, elegant and sexy, one apparently albino and dressed in regal, if simple, robes, and the other brown-haired, and dressed like a warrior woman. And standing nearby was a human, with messy dark hair, emerald eyes behind glasses, and…wait, was that a lightning bolt scar on his forehead? Itami fought down his initial impulse to fanboy out over all of the three visitors present, and merely asked, "You wished to see me, sir?"

The moustached general nodded. In English, he said, "At ease, Lieutenant. Allow me to introduce you to our visitors. This is Queen Tyuule, leader of the Bunny Warriors, and her escort, Delilah. In addition, I am sure you recognised Harry Potter, Tyuule's consort."

"Yes, I did, sir. A pleasure to meet you, Mr Potter." Inwardly, he was screaming, _Lucky bastard, he gets the hot rabbit woman!_ "And a pleasure to meet you too, Your Majesty, Delilah."

The three of them shook his hand, before Tyuule returned to Hazama. "Why did you summon him to your office, Lieutenant General?"

"Because not only was 1st Lieutenant Itami there when the Ginza incident occurred, but we are considering making him the head of one of the recon teams we're setting up. He's the only one we've chosen so far, and I thought you could help him gain an understanding of the lie of the land, geographically, politically, and culturally."

"What? You're putting me in charge of a recon unit?!" Itami demanded incredulously. Oh God, **_more_** work.

"Yes. This will be mostly a hearts and minds thing, as the man in charge of ordering the invasion of Japan is the ruler of the Saderan Empire, Molt Sol Augustus. And he's a ruthless man."

Harry nodded. "In all likelihood, his next move will be to call the banners of his vassals. I saw the aftermath of the battle you must've fought against the Imperial forces here." He grimaced in disgust. "I know war is hell, but still…anyway, Molt will send his vassal armies here."

Hazama nodded. "According to Mr Potter, and Queen Tyuule, Molt will be worried about his vassals banding together to revolt against him, and will use them to attempt to retake Alnus Hill. In truth, he is hoping we wipe them out and prevent a revolt. In addition, he'll probably use scorched earth tactics on the areas between here and the capital, not understanding our own means of supply."

Itami grimaced at the thought. "With all due respect sir, does this guy give a shit about his own people?"

"Not really," Tyuule said. "Molt Sol Augustus is a pragmatist and a brutal one, but it would take some time for him to realise your technological advantage over him. Of his children, it is Princess Pina Co Lada who you'd have a good chance of allying yourself with. She's naïve, and is very much a patriot, but she also cares about the people, and we're on good terms with her already."

"And as for the scorched earth tactics, Queen Tyuule also leads an underground movement, Asterix, after the French comic book series, that acts rather like the Underground Railroad of the United States Civil War, acting to help runaway slaves, as well as free others covertly. It was thanks to Asterix's actions that many of the people abducted during Ginza were returned to us," Hazama said. "Asterix will try to help the people harmed by the Empire, mostly by sending them to other settlements. Anyone who can't, they will send our way. While our mission is technically not to look after refugees, it can be a propaganda coup against the Emperor, and I personally want to help them. They also have one advantage. During our questioning of Count Colt Formal and his people, we learned that deities do indeed exist on this world, and that they have envoys known as 'Apostles', similar to a demigod. Asterix is known to have the unofficial allegiance of one of them. She goes by the name of Rory Mercury, and while she appears to be a girl in her early teens in dark Gothic Lolita clothes, she's actually over 900 years old, and one of the most lethal warriors in this world. She is also the envoy of the god Emroy, the local war deity."

"So, in other words, we have one of the heaviest hitters in this world on our side, unofficially," Itami said, marvelling at the concept of a Gothic Lolita demigoddess.

"I told her about the weapons made on Earth," Harry said. "She's…very interested. Rory, officially, is meant to remain neutral, but likes to align herself with people who catch her interest. She's also fond of children. As long as you don't go after any civilians and especially children, she'll probably stick close."

Hazama nodded. "Also, what about your fellow mages here? Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood? The intelligence I received indicated that they reside not far from here."

"Yes. Hermione is currently living on the outskirts of Coda Village, working with two mages native to this world, Cato El Athelstan, and Lelei La Lalena. Both are aware of Earth and its technology, and Lelei has been using scientific principles to improve her magical ability, odd though it sounds. Luna lives with the High Elves in a nearby forest. She'll probably have warned the High Elves of your arrival, too. Also, they may not have mentioned this, but my godfather, Sirius Black, also lives on this world. He is, admittedly, a fugitive from the authorities back in Britain, though he was presumed dead. I've only told Croaker of his survival, and we'd like to keep it that way. He was framed for the crimes he allegedly committed. Sirius is the husband of one of the Dark Elves' best warriors, Yao Ha Dushi. It means you have an in with the Dark Elves of the Schwarz Forest."

Tyuule cleared her throat. "Lieutenant General, what of Count Formal and my people who are currently in custody in your country?"

"Ah, yes. For now, we are holding Count Formal in custody for his own protection. We fear that releasing him here may lead to reprisals against him by the Emperor. As for your warriors, they are currently guests of the Japanese Ministry of Magic, pending repatriation. We intended to wait until we had established a foothold here first." Hazama chuckled a little embarrassedly. "Actually, I believe that they've gone on a shopping spree back home. Rest assured, they have the best protection detail we can get them, aside from their own superlative combat skills, of course."

Tyuule nodded. "I want them back here as soon as possible, Lieutenant General. I'll send them back to Italica, albeit covertly, to assist with the defence of that city. Given the decimation of the Empire's troops and the scorched earth tactics, bandit activity is sure to rise, with their numbers swelled by deserters. And with Count Formal absent, along with most of his men, Italica will be seen as easy pickings. Speaking of Italica, as you probably know, it's a trading post, and you could easily trade there for supplies and information. And if you're asking with what, well, you doubtless killed many wyverns, correct?"

Hazama nodded. "Yes, that is true. Are the corpses valuable?"

"The scales are. They would be a means of procuring the currency of the Empire with ease, as killing wyverns is difficult using the weapons of this world. In addition, the scales, I believe, make an excellent armour, and could be comparable in strength to your Kevlar, from what Hermione told me. You need to find a way to bring them together, of course. In addition, wyvern meat is a delicacy, and you have refrigerators, I believe."

"Do you?" Itami asked, curious.

"Through magic, yes. Enough to keep food from spoiling, anyway," Tyuule said.

Hazama nodded thoughtfully at what he heard. "Something to consider."

"There is something else you should consider, Lieutenant General," Tyuule said, her eyes narrowing. "I am helping you because we have a mutual enemy, one that has taken lives from our respective peoples. But we are not here to bend the knee to you. We are in alliance, but my people will not submit to you as conquerors. You yourself may not have this intention, but I do not trust your superiors both in the JSDF and your government. Not to mention the other powers in your world. Greed, after all, is a powerful motivator. So be warned. My people and their lands do not belong to you, any more than they belong to the Empire."

Hazama spread his arms in a placating gesture. "Queen Tyuule, while I cannot speak for my superiors, our primary purpose is to find a way of holding Emperor Molt Sol Augustus to account for what he did. Conquest is not our goal here, and I would find it repugnant if I was ordered by my superiors to attempt such a thing."

"I hope you're right, Lieutenant General. I want to believe you have good intentions, that I'm not merely exchanging one conqueror for another." Tyuule shook her head, before her expression softened. "I apologise if I seem too untrusting, but…"

"I have been briefed on the circumstances under which you met Mr Potter, Your Majesty. In addition, while we would like to think that we are beyond such things as imperialism back home, the sad truth is, I personally think that human nature hasn't changed all that much. Hell, I'm sure there are many back home who want the JSDF to become something more than a self-defence force, not to mention drooling at the untouched resources here, especially the mineralogical ones. But we are here not to conquer, well, except hearts and minds, not territory."

Itami agreed, and he hoped that was what the top brass intended. Then again, he had to admit, Tyuule had a point. Itami knew his history, of what happened during the Second World War, and the atrocities that happened in China and the Pacific, even if a lot of people in Japan nowadays didn't like to talk about it. Hell, it was something he didn't like to think about himself.

But that was then. He was 1st Lieutenant Youji Itami of the JSDF, a shameless otaku who had become a reservist to support his hobby…and who got caught up in a real life adventure. Hell, he even got to meet a living legend like Harry 'the Boy Who Lived' Potter, the guy who killed Voldemort! And he had a beautiful rabbit woman as a lover to boot! Exciting times to live in…

* * *

Later, the four of them were eating a meal in the mess of the camp. Harry tried it, and flinched a little. While the cuisine of the Bunny Warriors wasn't exactly haute cuisine (though surprisingly for anyone making assumptions based on their resemblance to rabbits, they were actually omnivores rather than herbivores), Harry had gotten used to it. However, Japanese food was a bit different to what he was used to, so it took a moment for him to get used to it.

Tyuule and Delilah were less fussy, but that was because they were more used to varying foods. Still, they seemed uncomfortable with the attention they were drawing from the other JSDF soldiers. Then again, none of them had seen Bunny Warriors in person, though they probably saw photos of the auxiliary unit Formal had commanded.

Harry, meanwhile, took the opportunity to examine Itami, even as he said a quiet " _Itadakimasu_ ," effectively the Japanese version of saying 'grace'. The dark-haired Japanese had noticeable stubble on his chin, and a lazy, easy-going demeanour to his lean frame. He reminded Harry a little of Ron, at least before things went sour between them, though his fanboyish glances reminded him a little of Colin Creevey.

After he finished eating, Itami said, "So, what's life like in this place?"

"Well, I miss some of the creature comforts back home. Admittedly, a lot of them can be recreated through magic, like fridges and that. Got to be more careful about medicine too. But…I'm away from that mess back home. Hazama told me you were a Squib. You know how famous I am back in Magical Britain. But…well, there was a very real cost."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Itami said, sympathetically. "I mean, I'm seen as a hero for what I did when all that crap in Ginza went down, but what you did to Voldemort is legendary, even in Japan. But they wouldn't think about who died in the process. And you were just a kid at the time. I can't imagine what that's like."

"Be thankful. I wouldn't wish my childhood on…well, most people. Still, life here's pretty good. And I have three beautiful children. Maybe you can meet them."

Itami chuckled. "Maybe. Still…a world like this, like something out of a fantasy manga or game? I didn't get to see much in the way of the wizarding world, so this is a big opportunity to see things I haven't really seen before. That's more exciting than, frankly, shooting a bunch of ill-prepared soldiers who're pawns of some nutjob emperor. That's, frankly, rather sickening. I mean, I know those guys would kill us if we let them, but they were sent to die. It's like the wars when the machine gun first came out, and they chewed up infantry and cavalry like they were nothing. All those corpses…yeah, I'm not happy with what the Empire did to Ginza, but I'm not happy with slaughtering so many people like that either. I'm looking forward to seeing what the world has to offer."

Harry decided that, despite his misgivings about the JSDF (well, more of the military in general), he liked Itami. He seemed like a decent guy, and was here more to explore than to kick arse. He had his heart in the right place.

The question was, though, was that the right thing here?

 **CHAPTER 12 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, we've got the JSDF finally arriving, with Itami on the scene!**

 **Review-answering time!** **LoamyCoffee** **: If it's for the series, I recommend it. The Japanese nationalism is somewhat off-putting, as is Rory's reaction to battles, not to mention a scene showing Zorzal raping Tyuule in silhouette in episode 13, but the series itself is great. Itami is very likeable, as are most of the characters (though Tuka's arc was a bit mishandled, IMO), the concept alone makes it worth watching, and the animation is brilliant.**

 **Kaiya Azure** **: Allegedly, from what little I gather, the Gate itself actually appeared briefly (in the novels, I think: it's less clear in the anime) before Ginza. It might have happened at night, or at a different location. The Empire's mages merely made it last longer. Some fanfics have slaves taken during the battle, though, and that's what I'm going with here. It's a bit more logical, even if tricky.**

 **Guest** **: Actually, it wouldn't be. Malfoy and Harry are, if not on good terms, then better terms than they were at school. He actually listened to Hermione's advice about investing in Muggle companies to regain his family fortune (as revealed in a later chapter), so while he and Harry are not friends, Malfoy will give Harry a heads-up. Incidentally, when Harry does come back to Britain, he will be reconciling with Ron and Andromeda.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	14. Chapter 13: Wrath of the Dragon

**CHAPTER 13:**

 **WRATH OF THE DRAGON**

Harry grimaced as he began sifting through the now rain-sodden ashes of what had once been a High Elf settlement, Delilah with him. Thanks to some Portkeys supplied by Luna, many had managed to evacuate when the Flame Dragon attacked a few hours before, but many had still been left behind. Thankfully, Luna, her lover Tuka Luna Marceau, and Tuka's father Hodor had survived, and those three were with him now. He looked at Hodor, who was comforting his daughter. "I thought the Flame Dragon only awoke every five decades," he said.

"So did I," Hodor said. He was a handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes, along with the distinctive pointed ears of a High Elf. His daughter had the same hair and eyes, and looked to be in her late teens. "Something awoke it early. If it weren't for the Portkeys, I'm not sure if any of us would have survived. Do you think it had something to do with the Gate?"

"Maybe," Harry mused. "Except, the Gate has been open for months now. Unless the JSDF coming through somehow caused it to awaken, which I doubt…" He looked at Luna. "Has Sirius and Yao been warned?" The Flame Dragon was supposed to have nesting grounds not far from the Schwarz Forest.

Luna nodded. "I sent a Patronus shortly after we arrived at your place. The Dark Elves have been warned. So has Hermione. Coda Village will begin evacuating shortly. Hermione doesn't know all of the places everyone wants to go to, so she can't give them Portkeys."

"I hope the Japanese have something like anti-tank weaponry," Harry muttered. "Itami told me that 50 calibre bullets were needed to bring down the wyverns, and Flame Dragons are even tougher. They'd probably need something like a HEAT round, a shaped charge. Luna, can you find anyone else with spells?"

"No. If anyone survived the attack and didn't use Portkeys, they're well away from here," Luna said, before frowning. "But I think the JSDF are approaching."

"Are these the soldiers from your world, Luna?" Tuka asked.

"Yes. Hopefully, they're the good guys."

Sure enough, they heard jeeps and an APC pulling up, and to Harry's relief, it was Itami leading a group of soldiers who came out of the rain. "Hey! Harry!" Itami called out in English. "Did you come here to help them?"

"Yeah. We managed to evacuate some of the people here, but…well, see for yourself," Harry said, indicating the burnt village.

"Shit. We saw that dragon attacking, and, well…" Itami sighed. "So, you want to introduce us?"

"Oh, right. This is Luna Lovegood. This is her friend, Tuka Luna Marceau, and this is Tuka's father, Hodor Ray Marceau. Listen…I know you guys aren't under any obligation to help us, but if you can help us get the evacuation of Coda Village organised, we'd appreciate it."

"Why's that?" asked one of the female soldiers in English.

"Because that Flame Dragon, whenever it wakes up, goes on a rampage until it's sated on flesh and violence," Harry said. "Sorry, what's your name?"

"Sergeant Shino Kuribayashi," the woman said.

Itami nodded. "Right, better introduce you. That's Sergeant Akira Tomita." A tall soldier was indicated. "That's Sergeant Takeo Kurata, my otaku comrade in arms." A younger man waved. "Sergeant Mari Kurokawa, our medic." A surprisingly tall woman nodded. "My second in command, Sergeant Major Souichirou Kuwahara." An older man nodded to Harry.

More introductions were made, while Mari fussed around the two Elves and Luna. "How many of you guys can speak English?" Harry asked.

"Most of us can speak it pretty well," Itami said. "We did joint exercises with the US forces before."

* * *

The next morning, they made it to Coda, to find that everyone was almost ready to get going. Harry found Hermione in a cart with Lelei and Cato. He had met the latter two while visiting on a few occasions. Lelei was peering at the JSDF soldiers with curiosity, though she was understandably startled when a maddened horse had to be shot.

"Hey, Cato," Harry said as the convoy readied to move out. "Do you have any idea why the Flame Dragon would attack now?"

The elderly wizard harrumphed. "Not a damned clue. But…perhaps an outside agency disturbed it. These soldiers…do you think they can bring it down?"

Harry frowned as he recalled a conversation he had with Itami and the other JSDF soldiers. They had cheaper and older armaments, partly as a cost-cutting exercise. That being said, the only anti-tank armaments they had were some Panzerfaust 3 rocket launchers. "Maybe, but it's a slim chance unless they have air support to help them. We'd better hope we don't encounter it."

"Actually, Harry, I developed a spell based on the Banishing Charm of your world," Lelei said in her habitual quiet monotone.

"It's basically a lower-powered railgun in some regards, this spell," Hermione said. "Using it with a metal rod could potentially make it an anti-tank weapon. Lelei and I can use it with ease, and we have metal rods capable of being used for this spell." She frowned as she looked at a trio of familiar figures talking to the villagers. "Is that Luna, Tuka and Hodor? Why are they here?"

"We were checking for any further survivors in their village when the JSDF arrived. They agreed to come with us, partly to reassure the people here, but also out of curiosity," Harry said.

* * *

The evacuation convoy moved slowly over the next day or so. They were, thankfully, able to repair the wagons that broke. Harry and Delilah rode with the JSDF soldiers in the lead jeep, and so were well-placed to see the JSDF's reaction to Rory when she made her appearance, sitting in the road, heralded by what was probably a literal murder of crows. "So, that's Rory Mercury?" Itami asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry, we'll handle this."

Harry dismounted from the jeep, along with Delilah, and Rory smiled, waving at them, hurrying over. "What's all this, then?" she asked. "I heard Coda Village was being evacuated. I overheard some foolish bandits who thought it'd be an opportunity for them, so I decided that they were volunteers to be sacrificed to Emroy."

"Flame Dragon," Harry explained. "Tuka's village got annihilated, along with many of the inhabitants. Save for Tuka, Hodor and Luna, the survivors are mostly back home. Tyuule's organising where to send them from there."

Rory pursed her lips, tapping them in thought. "That is concerning. The Flame Dragon's not due to awake for years. The Dark Elves have been warned? They're close to the Flame Dragon's lair."

Delilah nodded. A bunch of children came up to speak with Rory, who chatted with them for a few minutes, before strutting over to the jeep. "So, you're from Harry's world?" she asked, peering at the jeep curiously.

"Yeah. Are you Rory Mercury?" Itami asked.

"So my reputation precedes me," Rory said. "Is it a comfortable ride?" An impish smirk crossed her features. "I'd like to try it out."

"Rory, you are NOT sitting on Itami's lap," Harry said flatly, with the petite Apostle pouting. "You're welcome to ride with us. I'm sure the villagers will appreciate you being here…"

* * *

Rory looked around the inside of the jeep with considerable interest, peering at the weapons with her crimson eyes. "So, these are machine guns," she murmured, peering at the weapons held by the JSDF soldiers. "Hmm, a triumph of quantity over quality, but quantity does have a quality all of its own."

Kuwahara, the soldier whose weapon she had been peering at, remarked, "So, you know about them already?"

"Harry and his friends have been rather enlightening. Still, I doubt they'd be up to hurting a Flame Dragon. Those beasts are very heavily armoured. You'd need a heavier…I believe the term is 'calibre'? Though the eyes, of course, are a weakness, as is the mouth…well, when it's not breathing fire. The fire would be hot enough to reduce your bullets to slag within seconds. I believe that armaments effective against the armoured wagons you call tanks would be better."

"Yeah, Harry said that already," Itami said. "Depressing thought. And we're still getting air support sorted. It's not like we can fly them through the Gate. They have to be towed through."

Tuka, who knew enough English to follow the conversation, asked, "Air support? Do you mean those planes and helicopters Luna spoke of?"

"Helicopters mostly, but I think they'll bring fighter jets through eventually."

"If you can kill it, we'd be most grateful," Hodor said grimly. "The Flame Dragon killed many of my friends."

"Luna," Harry said, looking to the blonde, "what do you think in terms of spells against it? Fiendfyre? Blasting Hexes? Sectumsempra?"

"Fiendfyre would probably singe it at best, and even an overpowered Blasting Hex wouldn't do much," Luna mused. "I'd try Sectumsempra. That might work."

"Sectum…what now?" Itami asked.

"A spell developed by my old Potions teacher. It delivers pretty deep gouges to the body. Dragons back home are resistant to magic, true, and even a Killing Curse won't get them because their scales are too damn thick. But maybe Sectumsempra will work. Just don't get in the way if you like your internal organs remaining that way."

"Roger that," Itami said with a grimace.

* * *

They were making their way through an arid area, with Itami complaining about the heat, when he spotted the Flame Dragon. "Contact!" he yelled.

Harry looked out the window. "Shit!" He could see the Flame Dragon on a nearby cliff, eating a wyvern it had found. And too close to the refugees. "I'm going to distract it! Anyone got grenades?"

Kuwahara nodded, handing some over. "Why?"

Harry merely Apparated in reply, ending up on the cliff near the Flame Dragon. "Oi! Fugly!" He tried Sectumsempra, but only succeeded in scratching the scales.

The Flame Dragon turned to look at Harry below, and opened its mouth, a glow appearing…only to suddenly to get a few grenades into the mouth, courtesy of a Banishing charm. It roared in pain after the grenades exploded, but Harry knew that he hadn't seriously damaged it. At best, the shrapnel from the grenades had done some damage to the soft tissue of the mouth, but would it be enough to prevent it from breathing fire?

It lunged over with its claws, showing that, for now, it wasn't going to be breathing fire, even if it was only for seconds. He Apparated off the cliff…and nearly fell off the cart Hermione, Cato and Lelei were driving. Hermione was concentrating, using her magic to keep the cart, laden with books, from slowing down, while Lelei was charging up a different spell. A metal rod, about a foot long and thin, was hovering in mid-air, sparks crawling over it. As he clung to the covered books on the back of the cart, Harry yelled, "Whatever you're planning on doing, Lelei, you'd better do it soon!"

Lelei didn't reply, merely concentrating. Then, she unleashed it. There was a strange crackling whine that scaled up in pitch, before the metal rod suddenly lanced through the air at the Flame Dragon, a trail of electricity coming after it, as if borne on a lightning bolt. The Flame Dragon happened to move a mere second after Lelei unleashed her spell, taking to the skies…but the rod smashed into the lower third of its tail, a massive explosion of blood and gore heralding the Flame Dragon roaring in agony. Lelei panted. Clearly, that spell had taken its toll.

Thankfully, at this point, the JSDF opened fire, distracting the beast. Harry had bought them enough time to get ready, as well as preventing the Flame Dragon from roasting any of the villagers. The Flame Dragon took off after them. Harry watched the ensuing battle with apprehension. "Come on, come on…hit the damn thing with a rocket launcher."

The back of the jeep where Itami and the others burst open, and Delilah climbed onto the roof, wielding what looked like a rocket launcher. She fired, but the Flame Dragon dodged it. Another rocket shot at the beast, courtesy of a JSDF soldier, but the rocket was going wide…

…Until Rory flipped out of the jeep's rear door, joining Delilah on its roof, and hurled her halberd into the ground near the Flame Dragon. A massive tremor rocked the ground, and the Flame Dragon staggered…and the rocket smacked right into its left forelimb, annihilating it.

" _Damn_ ," Hermione hissed. "They didn't kill it. Still, a HEAT round seems to be effective."

"It's flying away," Lelei observed, only the slightest tremor to her quiet monotone betraying her stress, both physical and emotional. And indeed, the Flame Dragon was flying off, roaring in agony from the injuries done to its tail and its forelimb.

* * *

Harry had to endure a major chewing out by Delilah and Hermione for acting so reckless, going off to distract the Flame Dragon by himself. Still, they'd managed to avoid getting any of the villagers killed.

Soon, the villagers reached a crossroads. They knew they could find help with a local lord who wasn't far away now, and the Flame Dragon had been driven off for now. However, a few of those present now intended to continue following the JSDF to Alnus Hill. Tuka, Hodor and Luna, Hermione, Lelei and Cato, and, of course, Rory. Not to mention Harry and Delilah.

Still, Harry knew that, unless the damned Flame Dragon was bleeding out, they hadn't seen the last of it. Not by a long shot…

 **CHAPTER 13 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, we have more of the** ** _GATE_** **characters appearing properly, along with a slightly different outcome to the Flame Dragon. It doesn't get killed, but they actually saved all of the villagers this time…**

 **Review-answering time! Thanks to those who agreed with me about how badly Tuka's arc was handled in canon. I can understand her being in denial, but the delusional aspects and Yao's actions really soured that storyline for me. It's part of the reason that, in this version of events, Hodor definitively survived. Apparently he did in the novels, too, albeit rendered amnesic, but still, not a good way to do that.**

 **Jostanos** **: I'm sure it does. I like Itami for those reasons, and it's actually one of the reasons why, despite the Japanese nationalism and the glorification of the military, I like** ** _GATE_** **, as Itami is such a likeable character, and one who is a decent person.**

 **Have a Little Feith** **: Yeah, I understand Yao's desperation, but still, she comes across as a total bitch. That being said, Tuka is shown as being a lesbian, or at least bisexual.**

 **hakon2feb** **: As I mentioned in my PM, Noriko is indeed the Japanese girl made into a slave, while Komakado is that rather sleazy-looking but actually decent intelligence operative who first appears in Episode 8. Also, Itami has never actually seen a dragon on Earth, but he knows enough about how dangerous they are, so he's not actually fanboying over that.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	15. Chapter 14: Arrival in Italica

**CHAPTER 14:**

 **ARRIVAL IN ITALICA**

As predicted, Tyuule chewed him out a lot over his actions, before she finally calmed down. On the communications mirror, she said, " _It'll be hard to take on all these High Elves here. Are the JSDF willing to accommodate any of them?_ "

"I'll ask Hazama," Harry said. "I think they have the supplies for temporary dwellings at least. Any word from Sirius or Yao about the Flame Dragon?"

" _Yes, unfortunately. The Flame Dragon attacked Schwarz Forest not long ago, burned part of it to ashes. It must've been angered after what you and the JSDF did to it. A pity you didn't put an end to it for good. Still, there were fewer deaths than there could've been_ ," Tyuule said. " _But the fact remains that someone woke the damned thing up, whether by accident or purpose. Harry, don't do something like that again. I don't want to tell the children that their father won't be coming home forever. They're already missing you and Delilah._ "

"I know. I wish I could come back and see them sooner."

Tyuule nodded, before she added, " _There's more. Myui Formal has contacted us. Italica is being threatened by bandits, mostly deserters from the armies Molt sent at the Gate. What's more, the Rose Knights are apparently on their way there. The auxiliary squad members who have returned have done their best so far, but there's literally hundreds if not thousands of bandits._ "

Harry pursed his lips in thought, before saying, "Hmm, maybe this might be the time to have Pina meet the JSDF. Hear me out. If she sees something of their abilities in battle first hand, she might try to persuade her father to sue for peace, or else get members of the senate together to go for peace. At the very least, the Empire will be divided, and we may have a full-on ally in Pina."

Tyuule considered this. " _And how will you arrange this?_ "

"The wyvern scales, remember? Italica is the closest trading post to Alnus Hill, and certainly the biggest. The JSDF have the collection of wyvern scales, not to mention the meat. Plus, we salvaged the arm and tail from the Flame Dragon. The tail might be valuable."

Tyuule nodded. " _Very well. Still, I'm glad you saved those people in Coda_ …"

* * *

As it happened, Hazama agreed to house the Elves whose village had been destroyed, those who consented to come here, anyway. Harry acted as interpreter, as did Luna and Hermione and, of course, Rory.

Lelei, ever curious, peered at the various vehicles and equipment, learning the Japanese language quickly, in addition to English and her native tongue. She had heard of such contrivances from Hermione, true, but to see it was another matter. She even figured out how to use a basic hazmat suit. After all, Lelei was a veritable sponge of information, thanks to the blessings of the deities she worshipped.

Itami, however, had some disturbing news for Harry and Tyuule. Shortly after being reprimanded for not communicating with his superiors about the evacuation of refugees, he had been approached by 1st Lieutenant Akira Yanagida, Hazama's aide. Yanagida had approached him on the quiet and had strongly hinted that they needed to find a way to exploit the resources here on the other side of the Gate, and that helping the evacuees of Coda Village might help in that regard. He also wanted Itami to approach Harry and Tyuule about resources on Bunny Warrior lands.

Harry and Delilah, understandably, were far from amused. Delilah sought out Yanagida and pointed out that, while she was willing to trade certain items that her people generally had, especially those things created by her people, on no account was she or her queen going to allow full-on exploitation of her people's lands for any resources that lay on it. She harangued him quite a bit, and by the end of it, the spectacles-wearing officer was looking a wee bit shaken.

Within a few days, however, they were to depart for Italica, with Itami and his 3rd Recon Unit heading out. So too were the three Earth mages, Delilah, Lelei, Rory and Tuka (Hodor staying behind to coordinate the refugees of his people). "So, Italica's under attack?" Itami asked as they got ready to use a Portkey, a long rope. They were holding onto as much equipment as the three Earth mages could fit into a Mokeskin Pouch.

"Yeah. The Rose Knights are heading there to defend the town, but we're kind of hoping you could help out too. I know technically it's not your fight, but if the Rose Knights are there, so is Princess Pina Co Lada."

"What kind of name is that? Are we going to meet Prince Vodka Martini?"

"Ha bloody ha," Harry snarked. "Pina is probably your best bet for a diplomatic solution. She has influence and is reasonable, once you get past her patriotism. The other Rose Knights…yeah, a couple of them may get mouthy. As long as I'm around, you should be fine. They know me."

"Where are we going to in Italica?"

"The residence of the Formal family, specifically one of their cellars. If we appear in the streets or outside Italice, someone might get jumpy and attack," Harry explained. "I know technically you and your team are in charge, but we know these people better than you."

"Can't argue with that," Itami remarked. "So, when do we go?"

"As soon as I say 'balderdash'," Harry said, with an impish grin…

* * *

"Sir, can I shoot the wizard?" Shino Kuribayashi groaned as she swayed on her feet, looking like she wanted to empty her stomach contents onto the floor.

"Permission denied, sergeant," Itami said, grimacing. "Believe it or not, most means of wizarding transportation are unpleasant. Apparition, for example, allows you to experience what it's like to be toothpaste squeezed from a tube. Only broomsticks, flying carpets, and the Floo really feel comfortable."

Shino glared at Harry. "So why the actual hell haven't you guys made it more comfortable?"

"Don't ask me," Harry said, looking at the short but buxom sergeant, though he couldn't keep a twinkle out of his eyes (and now he understood why Dumbledore loved doing that!). "Now, keep in mind, we're in the house of the Formal family. They're probably one of the few truly decent noble families here. Also, while Pina might be impulsive, she's a decent person, and doing anything to harm her might blow up in your faces."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Itami said. "We're not trigger-happy morons."

"I would hope not," Delilah said. "Your weapons make it ridiculously easy to kill, and kill many in a short period. There's something…lacking in killing like that."

"What, you mean like honour?" Shino asked, scoffing a little.

"What Delilah means, I am sure, is that when you kill en masse like that…do you know what you're taking from people?" Rory asked, raising an eyebrow. Then, she started skipping up the stairs out of the cellar. "Food for thought!"

* * *

Once they emerged, they soon encountered Kaine, who hurried off to notify Myui Formal. Not long afterwards, the leader of the auxiliary unit of the Bunny Warriors Count Formal led into battle came around, albeit dressed as a maid. "Honoured Sorcerer, Lady Delilah," she said, bowing briefly.

"Mjrn(1)," Delilah said. "You are well?"

"Indeed. The Japanese government treated us well, considering that we were…what did they call us? Prisoners of war. Then again, the letters helped." Mjrn smiled. "Ah, they have such wonders on the other side of the Gate. The air, true, is not as clean, and it is a warren of glass, metal and concrete, and I did have to break some fool's hand when he tried to grope me…but there is much to see and buy."

"Thank you, Mjrn, but my concerns are more immediate. Have the Rose Knights arrived?"

"A small party lead by Princess Pina Co Lada arrived this very day, Lady Delilah. The main force of the Rose Knights was left behind. I have tried to remain inconspicuous, dressing as a maid, so that Pina does not suspect who we were. I believe she isn't suspicious."

Harry nodded. "Well, we'll need to see her. Kaine's gone to talk to Myui."

Mjrn nodded, before hurrying off. Soon, Kaine came back. "Lady Formal is currently in conference with the Princess about the defences of the town. I have told Lady Formal that you have arrived, but not about the JSDF soldiers."

"Got it," Harry said. "Is Pina alone?"

"She's with Lady Hamilton and Sir Grey."

Harry sighed in relief. "Okay, Grey's reasonable enough to act as a check on Pina, just in case things escalate…"

* * *

Harry, Delilah, Rory and Itami were brought into the presence of Myui, with the others checking other things for now. Harry knew that, with Pina doubtlessly hearing about the deaths on Alnus Hill, some careful explaining was needed to avoid conflict between her and the Japanese. Arguments were inevitable, but maybe he could clarify the situation.

Pina was speaking to Myui, Hamilton and Grey looking on, when Kaine entered with the quartet in tow. Pina looked up, and smiled. "Harry, Delilah, Lady Mercury…I wish this meeting was under better circumstances…but who is this?"

Itami saluted. "Your Majesty, I am First Lieutenant Youji Itami of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces."

"It's one of the Men in Green!" Hamilton yelped in sudden realisation.

As Pina, Grey and Hamilton went for their weapons, forgetting that Rory was present, Harry held up his hands. "Hold on a moment, he's not here to cause trouble. If anything, he's here to help."

Pina looked from Itami to Harry, and then narrowed her eyes. "Explain."

* * *

And so they did. Pina pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation, a most un-princess-like gesture. "So…to sum up, you come from the same world as this…JSDF, only they come from a different country. And they have come here to trade wyvern scales, and to help fend off the bandits."

"Yes. Pina, out of all your family, I actually _like_ you. When you were your father's envoy to the Bunny Warriors, you went out of your way to treat them, if not with respect, then courtesy. That's why I thought the Japanese would do better meeting you, and vice versa. As far as I can tell, they are not interested in conquest or destruction."

"The carcasses at Alnus Hill and the destruction told by King Duran of Elbe told otherwise," Pina said.

"Your father sent the armies of your vassals to _die_ , Princess," Delilah said coldly. "He knew that, given the decimation of his forces, it would only be a matter of time before they revolted. He used the JSDF as a proxy to do his dirty work, and thought that a scorched earth campaign would slow the JSDF. They have vehicles and supply methods that would render such tactics utterly moot, causing only the suffering of the very people he is meant to steward. I'm sure many of these bandits are the survivors of those armies who have decided to spite your father by pillaging Italica and bathing it in the blood of its citizens!"

"You dare…!" Hamilton began, only for Harry to shoot her a look.

"Quiet. The adults are talking." He looked up at Pina. "I know technically the JSDF are your enemies…but they want the same thing as you do. Namely, to avoid this town being overrun by bloodthirsty murderers and rapists. I know you, at least, give a damn about the people here, Pina. So do we. I know that, to you, the JSDF are your enemy, but they can help you against the more immediate enemy."

"…But how many of them are there?" she asked, looking over at Itami. "It can't have been a large group, given that you infiltrated this place undetected."

"Twelve soldiers, all up, Your Highness, not counting the others we brought with us," Itami said. "But…with our weapons, we should be able to help. Plus, we could call for air support if things get hairy, they've got enough of them through now."

"…Air support? Do you mean like wyverns?" Grey asked.

"Not exactly," Rory said with a smirk.

Pina seemed to struggle with herself, before a resigned look came over her features. "Very well. I will need all the help I can get. If you truly are willing to help, then I accept it…"

* * *

While Pina's plan was sound enough on paper, Harry didn't like it in some regards. She wanted the JSDF soldiers to be solely posted at the northern and southern gates to Italica, while she kept the defences higher on the western and eastern gates. She wanted to make it seem like the eastern and western gates were more heavily defended than the northern and southern gates. In truth, Harry was sure that she was also considering using the JSDF as decoys, dispensable decoys for the enemy.

However, Harry knew that no plan survived contact with the enemy. So he promptly asked Itami for the spare radios he had put into the Mokeskin Pouch. Pina peered at the radio Harry took curiously. "What is that?"

"It's called a radio," Lelei explained. "It uses a form of invisible light to allow for near-instant communication."

"You know about these strange devices?" Grey asked.

"Hermione told me a lot about the technology of their world," the stoic mage remarked. "I saw some of it for myself at Alnus Hill."

"Anyway, Delilah and I will come with you to the east gate," Harry said. "Hermione will cover the west gate with Lelei, and Luna the north gate with Tuka. If the bandits decide not to go along with your plan, we can radio the others. Then, we can use Apparition to bring the others here if the bandits are concentrating on a single gate. At the very least, one of us can bring Rory to wherever the action is."

"Having the Apostle of Emroy would be a help," Pina mused. "The few we captured claimed they were doing Emroy's work, sacrificing their victims to him. Maybe it would demoralise them."

Rory scoffed. "They're doing it for their own gratification, to slake their own lusts for battle and flesh. It's that sort of justification Emroy _despises_. And so too do I."

"…Very well. I agree to this amendment of the plan. But I will give the signal for you to communicate with the others, Harry. Either myself or Grey will give the order for you to bring these people to the east gate."

It was a small concession, but maybe it would be enough. Harry wasn't looking forward to the coming battle. He'd been in enough of those. But to help these people, he'd do it…

 **CHAPTER 14 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, the JSDF and the wizards are about to help Pina with Italica. Let's just hope they'll succeed.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Darksnider05** **: Harry and Rory already have a rapport going, so there's no actual disrespect. Keep in mind, in many regards, Rory does act** ** _very_** **childishly at times. Harry and Rory do exchange the older/younger sibling roles, depending.**

 **KyonSmith13** **: …That's a harem character trope? Seriously? I…dunno what to say to that. Especially as some of the harems have multiple people with that trope. Anyway, Tuka's still traumatised by the Flame Dragon, but not as bad as she was. Even if Hodor died, she has Luna still to help stabilise her psyche, and I doubt she would have fallen as far into delusion as she did in canon.**

 **Jlargent** **: Coincidence, but thanks to your namedrop, I did refer to it in Chapter 19, the last chapter I have written to date, when they take on the Flame Dragon.**

 **Jostanos** **: What. The. Actual.** ** _Fuck_** **.**

 **1\. Mjrn is the name of another Viera from** ** _Final Fantasy XII_** **.**


	16. Chapter 15: The Battle of Italica

**CHAPTER 15:**

 **THE BATTLE OF ITALICA**

"You lied to me," Pina said accusingly as Harry began setting up equipment at the eastern gate's rampart, the sky painted with the hues of twilight.

"Actually, I never told you exactly where I was from, only that it was far away. Another world technically counts," Harry said. He'd gotten a spare helmet with night vision goggles, although he'd only use them looking away from the torches. Thankfully, Delilah, being a Bunny Warrior, had night vision already, with her eyes suited to seeing in the dark. "And don't get on your high horse, Pina. I hate your father, and absolutely despise Zorzal. He wanted to turn Tyuule into his little fucktoy, and then tell her people that she sold them out to save her hide. You can't tell me you can't believe Zorzal's incapable of that."

"…No. No, it sounds like him. Even now, he has a concubine of the Bunny Warriors, so I hear," Pina said. "She resembles Queen Tyuule, at least in colouration, though her face is different. She reminds me of someone I can't recall. But…you brought these…JSDF here."

"And? If your father didn't send that army through the Gate, slaughtering and kidnapping civilians to sell as slaves, do you think they would have come here anyway? Slavery may not have been abolished on Earth, but it's illegal by international law. Back there, we have something called the Geneva Convention, designed to protect the rights of captured enemy soldiers as well as civilians during war. Admittedly, not everyone adheres to it, but in general, people do. Be thankful the JSDF are one of those who would. I shudder to think what would have happened if a terrorist group came here."

"Terrorist group?" Hamilton asked.

Delilah looked at the younger teen. "Terrorists are groups of fighters who kill civilians deliberately, either to fulfil a political agenda, or because of the tenets of a twisted faith. These bandits aren't so different, really. What defines a terrorist, and what divides them from a rebel or a revolutionary, is a tricky question back where Harry comes from. And sometimes, those fighting the terrorists become as vicious and ruthless. Such is warfare. Honour gets frequently left at the wayside."

"Too true," Grey said ruefully.

Harry frowned when something Pina had said earlier caught up with him. "Wait, you said that King Duran was still alive?"

"The last I saw him, yes," Pina said. "He was recovering in a nearby convent. His left arm and leg had been torn away, and he looked to have aged decades. He warned me about the JSDF, about what Father did. I had thought him half-mad."

"Maybe. PTSD does some strange things, though, and maybe he was just coming to terms with what happened."

"PTSD?"

"It's a term from his world: post-traumatic stress disorder," Delilah said. "A term they give to the horrors that haunt a man or woman long after they have experienced a trauma. Experiencing war, or rape, or the murders of loved ones, or a natural cataclysm and the death that follows, they can haunt you, waking or sleeping. It is a serious problem for soldiers on Earth, and others."

"…I know of such things," Grey said. "Most commanders would call those who allow such things to overcome them to be cowards. But I know better."

Suddenly, a voice called up to them. "Harry!" Running up the stairs to the balustrade was the familiar form of Myuute. The Siren had become a main member of Asterix.

"Myuute! What are you doing here?"

"I was here on a mission from Queen Tyuule. I was recovering from using up a lot of my magic on the last bandit assault before the Princess got here," the avian girl said.

"You know her?" Pina asked.

"Yeah. We sometimes help Count Formal out against bandit problems in the area, and we found Myuute here held prisoner," Harry said. "She's a formidable wind mage, so she can raise barriers to protect against arrows. Plus, Itami was kind enough to give me these." He plucked out a grenade.

"And what is that?" Grey asked.

"A grenade. Very dangerous, but very useful. Basically, you pull the pin, throw it at the enemy, and it explodes after a set time. Not something you want to be near. I used a few on the Flame Dragon, gave it something to chew on. Damn thing was too tough to die from indigestion, though."

"The Flame Dragon…so it is true, the JSDF did fight it," Pina said. "I heard the rumours, but…"

"Indeed. Between Harry, Lelei, Lady Mercury and the JSDF, they managed to distract the Flame Dragon from the inhabitants of Coda, and even drive it off. It lacks much of its tail and one of its arms," Delilah said. She looked out across the road leading from Italica, as the shadows gathered. "Still…we need all the help we can get…"

* * *

At about 3 in the morning, the bandits finally made their move. Only, they seemed to be attacking the eastern gate en masse. "Shit," Harry hissed as he saw them approaching in the distance, before activating the radio. "This is Harry Potter. Bandits are heading towards the east gate. I repeat, bandits heading towards the east gate in force. Are there any signs of them attacking other gates? Over."

" _Harry, this is Itami. So far, nothing. We've seen some scouts in the distance, but that's it._ "

" _This is Hermione. Ditto._ "

" _Luna here, and it seems the Wrackspurts are really driving the bandits to go to the east gate._ "

" _This is Princess Pina Co Lada_ ," Pina's voice came from the radio: she was behind the barricade at ground level. She had gone there with Grey and Hamilton to direct the battle, reluctantly accepting a radio, with a translation charm covering any problems. Norma was directing the defence at the wall where Harry was. " _For now, maintain your positions. Lieutenant Itami, send Lady Mercury to the east gate. I want to be sure this isn't a feint._ "

"With all due respect, Pina, I don't think this is," Harry said.

" _I'll ask Lieutenant Itami's men to come if we need them_ ," Pina said, a little curtly.

Harry snarled quietly. "Dammit, getting yourself raped and killed by bandits is not worth your pride," he muttered, thankfully with the radio off, though Norma shot him a glare. "Myuute, get ready to raise a barrier. We couldn't erect anything more than basic wards over such a large area in such a short period."

"Got it," the Siren said with a nod.

"And what will you be doing, Potter?" Norma asked.

Harry grinned viciously. "Raising hell, of course." But the grin was wiped off his face when he saw a constellation of lights in the distance, lights that suddenly went into the air. "Shit! INCOMING! MYUUTE!"

The Siren raised a barrier in time to intercept the fire arrows that rained down on them, helped by Harry's hurriedly-cast Protego. Once the initial fusillade ended, Harry cast a Sonorous on himself, and called out, "OI! THAT WAS UNNEIGHBOURLY! IF ALL YOU WANTED WAS A CUP OF SUGAR, ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS ASK!"

Normal blinked at him, and then asked Delilah, "Is he sane?"

"Define sanity," Delilah said, as she readied her bow. "Well?"

Harry nodded, and Delilah let the arrow go. Harry saw one of the commanders of the bandits drop, the arrow quivering in his eye socket. "Nice," he said, after cancelling the Sonorous.

"I was aiming for his heart," Delilah said.

"Right…" Harry stood and fired off an overpowered Blasting Hex. An explosion flared, hurling bandits into the air, the shields they wielded useless against such magic. Then another, and then another. He could have sworn that, with each explosion, he heard a distant, pleasured wail of Rory Mercury, and really hoped otherwise. "Itami," he spoke into the radio, "did you call in for air support?"

" _They're on their way. They want to get this stuff over and done with. Apparently they want us to appear before the Diet. How're you holding up over there, over?_ "

"So far, so good, but they might wear us down through sheer numbers." He fired off another overpowered Blasting Hex. "I can keep this up but not forever. Overpowering spells takes more out of you than normal casting. Over."

" _Got it. If things get too hairy, say the word. Over._ "

* * *

To give the hastily assembled militia of Italica their due, along with the auxiliary Bunny Warriors who were helping them alongside the Rose Knights (albeit in disguise, in case Pina recognised them as belonging to that unit), they managed to hold off the attackers. And when Rory emerged and began attacking, things were looking up. However, some of the attackers got lucky and ended up impaling Rory with multiple weapons, before dismembering her and keeping her limbs away from her body, keeping her out of the fight, pinning her body to the ground with her own halberd. "Pina!" Harry yelled into the radio as he felt magical exhaustion begin to creep in. He began hurling the grenades he had been given.

Eventually, Pina said, her voice a little shaky, " _Itami, send whoever you can spare to the eastern gate, now._ "

" _Roger that. We're on our way._ "

" _This is Hermione. I'll Apparate as many as I can to the east gate._ "

Less than half a minute later, Itami, Kuriyabashi, and Tomita appeared, holding onto Hermione, before ducking down. Another few were Apparated over by Hermione. "How long till air support comes?" Harry asked.

"Five, ten minutes now. We'll know it when they come," Itami said.

Harry nodded, and then looked at an exhausted Myuute. "Can you erect another shield?"

"A few more," Myuute said.

As she did so, the six JSDF soldiers went to the balustrade, and took aim at the bandits, before opening fire with their machine guns. They managed to kill the bandits keeping Rory prisoner, holding onto her body parts, and they shot together, with Rory yanking her halberd out of her chest. "Much obliged!" she called out, before she recommenced her cheerful slaughter.

And then, in the distance, they heard music. Strings and horns. Very familiar strings and horns. Harry groaned, facepalming. "That is such a cliché," he muttered.

"What do you mean?" Delilah asked. "What is that music?"

"Wagner's _Ride of the Valkyries_ ," Harry said, looking up at the dawn-dappled sky to the east, and the shapes he could see. "Someone's been watching too much _Apocalypse Now_. RORY! GET OUT OF THERE!"

Rory got the message, and retreated, leaping up onto the walls and watching the approaching attack helicopters, cutting a striking figure despite her tattered clothes. She yelled at the bandits, "Behold the beasts of Emroy! They have come to take your tainted souls as sacrifices! Either run like the worthless cowards you are, or fight like the warriors you claim to be, it makes no difference! Die knowing that your souls are twisted by your lies and lusts!"

Pina was climbing up to the parapet, drawn by the music, and stared at what was happening, Grey and Hamilton in tow. "What are those things? Wyverns? Pegasi?"

"Those are attack helicopters," Itami said. "You may not want to watch this, Princess. This is going to get messy."

Suddenly, the helicopters began opening fire on the bandits, machine guns tearing into them, rockets blowing them apart. Pina stared in horror. Delilah's mouth was set in a grim grimace. Rory emitted a disturbingly orgasmic noise. And Harry looked away. As much as these men wanted to kill them, this was ridiculous overkill.

But by the end of it all, the battlefield was littered with the dead. Blood and viscera painted the road.

Harry looked at Pina, who was staring at the battlefield…no, the _slaughterhouse_ , with absolute horror in her eyes, Grey supporting Hamilton as the young page emptied her stomach, while Norma looked pale. " _That's_ who your father picked a fight with," Harry said gently, or as gently as he could with the sound of helicopters nearly drowning his voice out. " _These_ are the people he sent his forces out to conquer and exact tribute and slaves from. And those are far from their most powerful weapons, Pina. They have vehicles, jet fighters, that can fly faster than sound. They have armoured wagons called tanks that hurl explosive shells like a catapult hurls stones. They're not gods or monsters…but if they really wanted to, they would crush the Empire like an ant under a boot."

She was still horrified, almost on the verge of panic, so, on an impulse, Harry gently hugged her. "Hey, hey…it's okay. It's okay. I don't think they'll do that, Pina. They don't take slaves. Prisoners are treated fairly well. You don't have to offer your body to them to gain their favour either, and they'll take that as an insult. But…you'll probably have to do a lot of diplomacy."

"…But…how can we stop this?" she whispered. "My father…"

"He can't overrule the Senate if enough senators are against him. Anyway, you've got someone who can help you bridge the gap. I come from that world originally, remember? So do Hermione and Luna. Anyway, your father may be many things, but I don't think he's stupid enough to allow his people to be annihilated out of pride."

She looked up at him in apprehension, before nodding. "Very well. Then we had better get started…"

 **CHAPTER 15 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, that just happened. Rory's fate during the battle came from another fanfic (I can't remember which one off the top of my head).**

 **Next chapter, Japan!**

 **Review-answering time!** **Guest** **(regarding Pina's actions and sticking close to canon): I should admit, I prefer to stick fairly close to the rails in some regards because I'm a lazy writer. That being said, one major change is coming up in a future chapter: the Flame Dragon will be killed far sooner than in canon…**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	17. Chapter 16: Strangers in a Strange Land

**CHAPTER 16:**

 **STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND**

They lingered in Italica long enough for the wyvern scales to be traded, a treaty to be signed, and, to avoid any problems, the Rose Knights, the main force anyway, to come along. Bozes very nearly caused an incident in her usual manner, along with Panache, but Pina managed to calm things down before the treaty could be broken. Pina decided to go with Bozes to Alnus, in order to begin negotiations with Hazama, at least for the beginnings of the diplomatic process. They'd also gone to pick up King Duran, in case he was threatened by the Emperor's agents. He would be left at Alnus.

Arriving back, Itami was promptly chewed out by one of the officers over the saga. And he needed to get himself ready to head back to Japan, to answer questions about what happened with the Flame Dragon and Italica at the Diet. Hazama relayed to Harry and the others that they would come along too, if they wanted. Indeed, an invitation had been extended to Queen Tyuule to come along as well.

After relaying this to Tyuule, the Queen decided to agree, but she intended to bring her children to see the world of Harry's birth, even if it was in another country. Then again, they could use a Portkey to head back to Britain for a time. Parna and Mydia could administer affairs back home for now.

Home…yes. Earth didn't really feel like home anymore. He missed many of the creature comforts of home, and he was going to buy some stuff, but…he had a home here now. Of the three Earth wizards, only Luna still had family back home, or at least family that would talk to her: Xenophilus was currently planning to head to this world when he was finished with another study of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, which would be very soon.

Aside from what Luna liked to call the 'Lunar Harmony Trio', of the inhabitants of this world, Lelei, Rory, Tuka, Hodor, Tyuule, Delilah and their children would be heading across. So too would Pina and Bozes.

"So, what is this 'Diet'?" Hodor asked as they stood near the jeeps about to drive them through. "Is it like the Senate?"

"In that it's probably a lot of overpaid, pompous idiots who squabble rather than do anything meaningful, yes," Harry snarked, eliciting some laughter from Tuka and the JSDF, along with some giggles from Rory.

Pina frowned. "Then who holds power in Japan?"

"The leader is the Prime Minister, but it's technically what is called a constitutional monarchy," Hermione said. "The Emperor of Japan is a figurehead of sorts, rather like the Queen of our home country, the United Kingdom. There are few absolute monarchies in the world now, save for in the Middle East, though Swaziland and, technically, the Vatican count. Of course, you have dictatorships."

"And magic is hidden in your world?"

"Until the Gate opened, yes. Limited disclosure was needed after that, due to the public actions of the local Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Law enforcement…a city guard?" Bozes asked.

"Yes. In a way, anyway," Hermione said. "Keep in mind, Japan is one relatively small country, as is the United Kingdom, though our influence is still fairly large. However, you also have the superpowers, countries with a lot of influence, like the United States of America, China and Russia."

Lelei, who had a few books with her, opened up an atlas, and pointed to parts of it. "Japan…the United Kingdom of Great Britain…the United States of America…"

Bozes paled. "If such a small country has such a devastating army, I shudder to think what would have happened if they came from a larger one," she murmured quietly in sudden realisation.

"Exactly," Lelei said.

* * *

Not long afterwards, they departed through the Gate, with Itami, Tomita and Kuribayashi. They soon were at the checkpoint, and while they were getting their particulars sorted, they were approached by a rather shady-looking man in a coat that looked like Japan's answer to Columbo. In fact, he was Hideyo Komakado, and he started off by making some snide remarks about Itami's rather interesting career, an underachiever who nonetheless managed to achieve some things that shocked Kuribayashi, like him being one of the JSDF's Rangers, or part of their Special Forces Group.

When Komakado looked at Harry and Tyuule, along with the children, his rather snide demeanour lessened. "Your Majesty. Welcome to Japan. What do you think so far?"

Tyuule looked around at the skyscrapers. The initial shock had worn off, and she frowned. "Forgive me if I say I prefer my home. I'm sure your country has many wonders, but while these buildings are marvels of construction, architecture and engineering, they're lacking in personality."

Komakado chuckled. "Should show you around some of the historical sites, then. Japan may be a modern country in many regards, but like England, it's steeped in history and tradition centuries old." After a moment, the man gestured Harry over, and Harry went up to him. "There's something you need to know. I got word from our friends in America that President Dirrell was on the verge of putting leverage onto the Prime Minister to allow some CIA operatives to snatch the visitors, especially your kids. Now, Samuel Quahog, who's head of MACUSA, managed to put pressure on Dirrell to stop that, if only because you'd make like Liam Neeson in _Taken_ , so instead, the US Ambassador is going to meet with you and your wife, along with the other visitors. That being said, there's still some disturbing movements elsewhere. The Chinese and the Russians are expressing a little too much interest, and their magical governments are pretty much yes-men to the mundane governments."

"If they try anything, I will end them," Harry said.

"I'm sure. We're taking the Princess and her aide to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You'll go with Itami and the others to the Diet. Thankfully, they haven't set up a committee, given the lack of civilian casualties with the Flame Dragon, but there's going to be some strong questions asked. Hopefully, they won't ask any of you three. Given even a limited reveal of magic, the Second Salemers are on the rise in the US again, and they've got sister organisations in Britain and other countries."

"Not here?"

Komakado scoffed. "Nothing big, anyway. Given all the magical girl anime series, we're probably better adapted to revealing magic. For the purposes of the Diet, you, Hermione and Luna are mages from the Special Region. Anyone who has clearance has already been briefed."

"Would I be able to head back to England for a day if not more?" Harry asked.

"We'll arrange something. Security will be a nightmare, though…"

* * *

Thankfully, Harry was not called upon to answer questions, though he watched as Itami, Lelei, Tuka, Hodor and Rory were. So too was Tyuule. Harry felt that, despite the gasps the revelation that Tuka and Hodor were real bona-fide Elves summoned, his wife and Rory stole the show. He felt proud as he hugged his children close. Lelei was a surprisingly good orator given her youth, too. There was a brief meeting with the US Ambassador, who seemed like a nice sort. Still, Tyuule and Delilah were wary allowing him so close to their children in light of what Komakado had told Harry (and which he relayed to his lovers), and eventually, they were let go.

It was at this point that Harry decided to use Fawkes to get from Japan to England. Hermione decided to stay, to accompany Itami and the others, and Luna, after some thought, decided to stay with her lover and her father-in-law, at least for now.

So it was that Harry, Tyuule, Delilah and their children used Fawkes to appear in 12 Grimmauld Place. It was now very early in the morning, by British time, and it'd be a while before everything opened up. "Welcome to the home of the Black family," Harry remarked sardonically. "12 Grimmauld Place."

"It certainly is grim and old," Tyuule said, looking at the dark décor with narrowed eyes. "Sirius grew up in this place?"

"Yeah. He was lucky to get out of it sane. Still…many Blacks have a genetic tendency towards quick tempers, if not outright insanity," Harry said quietly, looking over at the tapestry showing the family pedigree. "I think Andromeda got a lot of the temper."

"…Are we going to meet her?" Tyuule asked.

"Maybe tempers have cooled enough. I'm not sure I want to forgive her for what she said…but I was at fault too. I guess that's why I didn't mind being part of your community. It's too much to say that I had nothing to go back to…but it wasn't far from it…"

* * *

A few hours later, after a quick nap, Harry took his family to the Ministry of Magic first. He noticed the few employees up and about at this time staring at him, or rather, his family as he walked through. "Excuse me," he said to the main receptionist, "can I make an appointment to see Minister Shacklebolt?"

The receptionist nodded. "Of course, Mr Potter. And these are…?"

"Her Majesty Queen Tyuule of the Bunny Warriors of Falmart, and her offsider, Delilah. Also, my children, Fran, Balthier, and Lily."

"They're adorable," the receptionist cooed.

Harry, however, heard someone mutter, "Half-breed scum." He felt Tyuule and Delilah tense, and the receptionist's smile became somewhat more fixed.

"I'm sorry, I must be hard of hearing. I thought I heard a Darwin Award winner speaking up," Harry said, turning around. However, whoever it was had walked away.

* * *

They waited outside the Minister's office once they got there. Thankfully, within a few minutes, the door opened, and a familiar blonde with pinched features walked out, and stopped, upon seeing Harry. "Potter," Draco Malfoy drawled. "So, the rumours are true. You've gone and gotten yourself wed to a foreign dignitary." His features softened as he looked at the children.

"Malfoy," Harry said with icy politeness. Malfoy may have reduced his antagonism significantly since their school days, but Harry didn't truly trust him. "And what are you doing here?"

"I'm sure the Minister will let you know." He then bent down, until his mouth was near Harry's ear. "A word to the wise, Potter. There are still actions afoot in the Wizengamot to claim your monies and take revenge on you. If I were you, I would clear out my vault entirely, and get back to this world you've gone to as soon as possible. And I'd suggest taking that Tonks woman and her grandson with you."

"Why?"

"I'm not the only one with connections to the Black family who desires their inheritance. But I have better ways of rebuilding my family's fortune than that," Malfoy said. "Say what you will about Granger, but her ideas for investing in certain Muggle companies have paid dividends, quite literally. However, some want to be somewhat more traditional in how they gain their money. And there are others who can't swallow their pride at what you did to the Dark Lord. So…watch your back, Potter, and keep your family close." With that, Malfoy swept off.

"…And that's probably one of the times he was nice to me," Harry said. "A bloody miracle."

"Mr Potter?" came the officious voice of Percy Weasley, peering at him from the door. "The Minister is waiting…"

* * *

Kingsley Shacklebolt had certainly aged more since Harry had last seen him, weighed down by the responsibilities of his office, and paperwork. Croaker was standing nearby. "Welcome to Britain, Your Majesty," Kingsley said, smiling despite his tiredness. "I trust you had a pleasant journey?"

"Portkeys are rather unpleasant, but travelling by Phoenix is another matter," Tyuule said. "Still, it is a pleasure to meet you, Minister. Harry spoke highly of you, as well as yourself, Saul Croaker."

Croaker nodded. He had a bald pate, sunken eyes, and a vaguely thuggish face that belied his rather gentle, intelligent manner(1). "Thank you, Your Majesty. And thank you again for rendering assistance to returning the kidnapped Japanese citizens to this world. However, many are still missing, and we will need Asterix's help, along with that of the JSDF, to find them."

"Malfoy was just telling me there's a plot against me," Harry said. "I mean, aside from the ominous warnings you gave me, Croaker."

"Yes, the trial didn't eventuate, it got shot down thanks to our friends in Japan, as well as Longbottom and Weasley and their allies in the Wizengamot. You and Ronald and Ginevra may be estranged, but they're still loyal to you, or at least your ideals. Indeed, Ronald is now DADA teacher at Hogwarts, and a damned fine one, while Ginevra is doing fine with the Hollyhead Harpies," Croaker said. "But a faction of Purebloods, led by Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson, have designs on the Black family fortune, and they want revenge on you for what happened during Voldemort's _coup d'etat_. What's more, they've been slowly and surely getting the ear of some like-minded people in the Japanese Ministry, according to Komakado. They won't try anything just yet, but they soon might."

"Malfoy said that Andromeda and Teddy were in danger," Harry said.

"Yes…their house was firebombed yesterday, and they're currently at Shell Cottage," Shacklebolt said. "Even before then, there have been threats, Howlers, Bubotuber Pus in the mail…nothing that could be traced to anyone, sadly."

"…If we can talk without it dissolving into a shouting match, I'll consider bringing her to Falmart. I can't promise it will be any safer, though, what with the JSDF and the Saderan Empire being at war."

Shacklebolt nodded, before turning to Tyuule. "Your Majesty, if you wish to tour London or indeed any other part of Britain, I can have some of our most trusted Aurors, those who are more familiar with working in the mundane world, to accompany you as escorts. We have heard from Komakado about the threats posed by the Russians and the Chinese in Japan. It would take them too long to mobilise here, I would hope, but unfortunately, such assumptions could go awry."

"Thank you. I want this trip to my consort's homeworld to be a pleasant one, Minister Shacklebolt," Tyuule said, smiling.

"It will be. As with the Japanese, to the Muggles, Harry will be a sorcerer from beyond the Gate. We'll handle the press, but you may have to speak to them some time. I mean, it's not every day one gets to meet beings who walked right out of a fantasy novel. Besides, you're visiting royalty. Many Muggles are fascinated by the royal family here. Her Majesty may even ask for an audience before you go back to Japan," Croaker added.

"If Her Majesty wishes to meet me, then I will accept her invitation," Tyuule said. "But…I think a touch of sightseeing first…"

 **CHAPTER 16 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Harry, Tyuule, Delilah and the kids are in Britain. Maybe they'll be able to avoid the brouhaha that goes on in Japan…maybe. We'll have a few scenes set in Japan, anyway…including Rory being up to something.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Hellhammer** **: Actually, I'd probably do what Alucard did in** ** _Hellsing Ultimate Abridged_** **and put on Andrew WK's** ** _Ready to Die_** **.**

 **zetsubougintama** **: I get your fears about bashing Ron, and frankly, I don't view what I do as Ron-bashing. I don't turn him into the villain many others do. Indeed, the very next chapter shows what Ron has become afterwards (and it's okay). But most of the time, if I do have Ron and/or Ginny doing something that seems like bashing, it's more to do with, well, after Hogwarts, the fairytale romance comes tumbling down…it's not out of malice but incompatibility. The closest I've come to outright Ron-bashing was in my** ** _Overlord_** **crossover** ** _Yield to the Darkness_** **. Dumbledore-bashing is another matter, but it depends on the demands of the story.**

 **Anyway, I'm glad you're giving my story a chance because of my trying to develop Tyuule and the Bunny Warriors. Tyuule's fate is a sad one, and while she's become a pretty vile villain in the anime, she's also a tragic villain (whereas Zorzal is basically a grown-up Joffrey with more brains…well, a little more). In developing the Bunny Warriors beyond what was seen in the anime, I did draw upon multiple sources: the Viera from** ** _Final Fantasy_** **, the Fremen from** ** _Dune_** **, the Skifandrians from** ** _Girl Genius_** **, etcetera. I also pestered Arawn D Draven a lot, as they knew more about the franchise than I did.**

 **While my writing style does admittedly have faults, it's because I am best at writing dialogue and character interaction rather than description and action. Blame reading too many of Terrance Dicks'** ** _Doctor Who_** **novelisations and the beige prose within it. I also like to imply and state what happened offscreen. Lazy, yeah, but that's the way I roll.**

 **I am well aware of** ** _The God of Cookery_** **, and had been shortly after starting development of this story. I had been wary of reading it before, but have read it all the way to the latest chapter (I think making Furuta out to be a former operative for an ultra-nationalistic assassin group was a bit much, IMO). And yes, maybe I will include a nice little nod, as the latest chapter I have started writing involves the party Pina hosts for the senators she wants to persuade, and maybe Tyuule and Harry could interact with Furuta.**

 **In any case, I write how I write. I basically have a rough idea of where and how the story will go, but basically, I make shit up as I go along. I like to think of my writing style as being not unlike Terry Nation's: I may be sloppy at times and reuse tropes and set-pieces, but sometimes, when the stars align, what I write is pure gold. I'm not aiming to write great literature here. I write to entertain people first and foremost.**

 **Also, I think the most annoying thing about your review was the score you gave me. I would've thought this story worth at least 7-7.5/10. You cheap sod.**

 **comodo50** **: Yeah, you're talking about dEBB987's** ** _The Master of Death_** **in Nazarick, aren't you?**

 **1\. In** ** _Just a Touch of Kleptomania_** **, I thought of Croaker as looking like David Troughton, so this is what he looks like now.**


	18. Chapter 17: Reunions

**CHAPTER 17:**

 **REUNIONS**

"So, wizards have aging potions?" Rory said as she peered curiously at the bottles Hermione had.

"Yes. It's usually used as a prank more than anything, or occasionally a disguise," Hermione said. "I bought these in the magical quarter when we stopped by to speak to the local Ministry of Magic. Now, I don't know whether it would affect your body, given that you're an Apostle, but…well, it's a bit cruel to have you remaining at the same age physically while your mind matures…mostly."

They were currently staying at Risa Aoi, a manga artist who specialised in _shounen-ai_ comics. Hermione wasn't really into that sort of thing, though she was amused to note that Pina and Bozes had latched onto them like lampreys. Risa had been Itami's wife, though they had divorced shortly before his deployment to Falmart. Thankfully, they were still on good terms, though Risa was very much a slob, despite her pretty looks. Hermione and Luna had brought along wizarding tents to help save space, one of which Hermione and Rory were in now.

The reason Itami did this was because they needed to throw off the press, and the agents looking to try something against the visitors from Falmart. Sergeant Kuribayashi wasn't happy, but then again, she seemed to be having a lot of her preconceptions about the world, or at least the JSDF, torn down around her. She was a military fanboy, and learning that Itami had managed to achieve things she thought only total badasses could was causing her brain to suffer blue screens.

"Hmm…how kind of you, Hermione. However, I wish to wait until we get back to Falmart before I try these out," Rory said. "As much as I want to give them a go and, well, get rid of a lot of pent-up stuff…I'd prefer to do this at my leisure. By the way, what do you think about Itami?"

Hermione was struck by the suddenness of the question, and her brown eyes met Rory's amused crimson orbs. "Oh, don't be like that," Rory said. "I'm over nine centuries old. I can tell if someone's attracted to another person, even if they don't realise it themselves yet."

"Keep your voice down!" Hermione hissed. "We're in the apartment of his ex-wife."

"Exactly. _Ex_ -wife, and they're on decent enough terms," Rory said quietly.

"And I am _not_ attracted to him," Hermione hissed back. "He's like Ron. Scruffy, lazy, an underachiever when he could do so much more, and…and…"

"And compassionate, and willing to fight for what is right," Rory interjected quietly, her expression solemn. "From what you, Harry and Luna told me, the problem was with Ron was that he seemed to think that you should be a traditional housewife. It was a view of how a wife should be that he got from observing his mother. Itami is not Ron, any more than Ron was a bad person. I think he's more compatible with you. See how he treats Risa? They may not actually love each other, or at least Itami doesn't, but there's a lot of affection there. And Itami is a smart man in the end. That promotion he got after Ginza may have been more of a matter of politics than anything else, but in order to get as far as he did, even with his laziness, requires some intelligence and commitment. What's more, as the child of a Squib who was cast out of their family, he understands you more than a Pureblood like Ron Weasley would. I'm not necessarily saying that you two would fall in love or that you should do what Harry and Tyuule did. But…keep your options and your mind open."

To Hermione, this was something of a shock. On reflection, she realised she had been thinking about Itami somewhat lately. And she had to admit, for all his sloth, there was something…intriguing about him. But in a way, it also felt like she was choosing someone like Ron all over again. And she wasn't sure she was ready for that.

"Apropos of nothing, how do you think Harry is doing in Britain?" Rory asked.

"I hope he's doing better than we are. Komakado's warnings have me worried."

"You shouldn't be. I may not be absolutely invulnerable as you saw in Italica, but even bullets wouldn't be able to stop me for long. The soldiers of this world may have superior firepower, but they still bleed and die like any other mortal. And I don't intend to let any of you get captured. You're too interesting. And as her teacher, you should have more faith in Lelei's abilities, to say nothing of Tuka and Hodor."

"The problem is, what if they get wizards and witches from this world?" Hermione mused.

"Then they will be good sacrifices to Emroy all the same…"

* * *

Harry looked at Headmistress McGonagall, who was smiling a rare smile. "Welcome back, Mr Potter. Saul gave me some updates on what you've been doing in this other world, along with Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood. You can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

"You know me, Professor," Harry said, smiling a little wanly. "This is my consort, Queen Tyuule of the Bunny Warriors, and…umm, our co-lover, Delilah. And my children, Fran, Balthier and Lily."

McGonagall didn't seem shocked that he had two lovers. Either Croaker told her about them already, or else she just took it in her stride. McGonagall got up from behind her desk, and curtsied. "Your Majesty. I trust that you are keeping my former student out of trouble?"

Tyuule smirked. "With precious little success, I'm afraid."

Chuckling, McGonagall knelt, and looked at the children, where they sat in a pram. "What adorable children," she said, smiling warmly. "If only James and Lily were here to see them themselves…never mind Albus. I know you and he had many differences, Harry, and understandably so, but…I think he would have wanted you to find happiness in your life in the end, even if it was away from Magical Britain. Still, I heard about what happened in Japan. Nasty business. I'm surprised the JSDF were allowed to go. I was a child during the Second World War, and remember when Douglas MacArthur all but ruled Japan after its surrender. Japan wasn't really meant to have an army after all that happened, even if in many ways they changed for the better."

"The Japanese forces and most of the people we have met have been good to us, Professor," Tyuule said. "Make no mistake, I refuse to allow my people to be conquered or exploited, whether it is by the Empire, or by the Japanese, or by any other power in your world or ours. But most of them have been very kind, kinder than many Humes, what my people call humans, in my world."

"I am sure," McGonagall said. "People change, sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse. Speaking of which…did you want to see anyone else before you go?"

McGonagall was indirectly asking about Ron, and Harry, a little reluctantly, nodded. Maybe it was past time he buried the hatchet…

* * *

"Bloody hell, Harry! You got yourself married to a _queen?!_ "

Harry winced at the volume Ron yelped at. He was glad that it hadn't come down to angry shouting, but shouting he didn't want anyway. "Turn it down a little, Ron," Harry hissed. "Bunny Warriors have very sensitive ears."

"Oh. Sorry," Ron said to Tyuule and Delilah. The redhead, Harry had to admit, improved his appearance since they last met. He was a little less gawky and gangly. Harry had half-expected him to have a paunch, but Ron had been keeping himself fit. Apparently Hermione leaving him had forced him to take stock of his life, and he got a DADA Mastery. They were currently meeting in his classroom, with his last class for the day over. "Bloody hell, though," he said, shaking his head. "Heard about that mess that went down in Japan. I did hear something about you being on the other side, but…"

Harry nodded. Eventually, to break the silence, he said, "I didn't see you being a DADA teacher."

Ron shrugged. "Well, I thought, I couldn't possibly be worse than Umbridge or Lockhart, or even Quirrell. And with You Know Who dead, the curse should be gone. After everything we went through…well, I wanted to do something good, not sit on my laurels. Because that's what 'Mione told me I was doing. So, here I am, teaching the next generation. And you know what? That's better than being known as Harry Potter's Best Friend, really. Besides, this is way better than the Aurors. Less paperwork, less politics, and the meals here are better than the Ministry canteen."

Harry laughed despite himself. For all their friendship taking what seemed like a terminal hit, perhaps all that was needed was time and distance. "I'm actually happy for you. Seeing anyone?"

"Believe it or not, Tracey Davis. I know, it's weird. Had you asked me back when we were in school, I wouldn't have considered a Slytherin. Actually, Daphne Greengrass was the one who suggested it. You know how they were friends." Ron shook his head ruefully. "But…enough of me. What have you been doing?"

* * *

They reminisced, Harry grateful that they managed to clear the air, before he left to see the other teachers, like Flitwick, Sprout, and Hagrid. Then, after that, the five of them headed over to Shell Cottage.

Bill and Fleur soon met them. "…Harry?" Bill asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Andromeda and Teddy. Are they here? Kingsley said they would be."

Bill and Fleur looked at each other. Bill nodded, and went inside. Fleur turned her gaze to Harry and his lovers and children. "And who are these, Harry?"

"Ah. Fleur, this is Queen Tyuule and Lady Delilah of the Bunny Warrior tribe, and my children, Fran, Balthier and Lily. Everyone, this is Fleur Weasley, née Delacour."

"A pleasure," Fleur said. "Andromeda is currently looking after our darling daughters Victoire and Dominique. You two are from this…other world we have heard about?"

"Of course. Hermione and Luna are currently in Japan, but we are…well, we wished to see where Harry grew up."

Delilah nodded. "We're continually surprised at the variety of cultures in this world. Admittedly, we haven't ventured beyond our own country, Falmart, and there are a lot of varied cultures on our homeworld, but the Japanese and the British are so different. And your accent…Harry told us about you. Aren't you from a country called France?"

" _Oui_. I mean, yes." Fleur smiled. "I first met Harry when I came over to Hogwarts for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. When he got entered by that bastard Crouch, I had thought him an interloper. A _leetle boy_ , I believe I called him at the time. Still, he acquitted himself well for a boy who hadn't even completed his OWLs. And he helped save my sister's life. Not enough to incur a true magical debt, but I was in his debt as a means of personal honour."

"So am I," Tyuule said, looking at Harry ruefully. "And I haven't exactly paid it off. But Harry…he doesn't really care about such debts, does he?"

"No. It seems that his infamous luck has taken a turn for the better," Fleur said.

"I doubt it," came a rather familiar, and to Harry, somewhat unwelcome voice, if only by association. He saw Andromeda Tonks coming out, looking like she had aged far more years than the ones he had last met her, rather like how her sister had aged during her stint in Azkaban, only without the madness. Teddy had changed, though, shooting up like a weed.

For a time, nothing was said. The weight of what had been said years before weighed down heavily. Harry may have lashed out in anger towards Andromeda Tonks, but what she said about Remus, and about him, was hard to forgive, even if it was her irrational anger talking. **_He_** should have died? He did die, for all these people in Magical Britain, even if he managed to come back, but gratitude had a half-life comparable to those transuranic elements Hermione spoke of. Remus and Tonks didn't need to die, nor did Teddy's namesake grandfather…but Andromeda spat on their sacrifices.

The anger welled up within him once more, and with it, the partly-irrational hatred he felt for the woman who said in anger that he should be dead. He was on the verge of taking his lovers and his children and just _leaving_ , deciding to abandon Andromeda to her fate, just like she abandoned him, when she finally said, "Are those your children, Harry?"

That broke the ice, the barriers that had formed between them. And Harry found his anger leaving him, even more swiftly than it had come to him. He nodded. "Fran, Balthier, and Lily."

Andromeda approached, hesitantly, tentatively, Teddy, now nine years old, in tow. "…They're beautiful," Andromeda said, her reluctance born not of any malice, but just sheer awkwardness and hesitation, from years of estrangement.

"Yes. They are," Harry said stiffly.

They were, admittedly, baby steps on the road to reconciliation. But they would have to be enough…

 **CHAPTER 17 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Annnd cut! I think it's best for me to not show the full reconciliation scene. I'd fuck up writing it. Next chapter…wait and see…**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	19. Chapter 18: Homecoming

**CHAPTER 18:**

 **HOMECOMING**

Hermione slid open the door to Itami's room, and frowned. For a moment, she didn't recognise the young woman sprawled across Itami, both very naked. But then, she remembered that distinctive glossy sheen of her black hair, like a raven's feathers, and she realised what had happened. She breathed a sigh of relief. The aging potion, at least, lasted for 24 hours, so there wouldn't be any awkwardness when they woke up. Who'd want to wake up with someone who looked like a naked young girl in their bed? Apart from paedophiles, anyway.

Smirking impishly, she turned to Shino, and gestured her over to the door, putting a finger to her lips, before pointing. "Don't they make an adorable couple?" Hermione whispered.

Shino frowned. "Who is that?"

"Don't scream, but it's Rory, plus an aging potion."

Shino gaped. "… _What?!_ " she hissed, doing a double-take. Then, she frowned thoughtfully. "…So, that's what Rory looks like when she's older?"

"Yep."

"…Looks like Irisviel von Einzbern from _Fate/Zero_ , only with black hair and a bit more athletic," Shino said. She may not have been an otaku on the level of Itami or Kurata, but she loved the _Fate_ franchise.

"Oh my," Rory said, her eyes flickering open, her voice a slightly more sultry purr than it was before. She got to her feet, revealing her slender and athletic body as she stretched. "I could feel my ears burning. Ah…last night was a good night. While I had to forgo fighting off those fools who were trying to kidnap us last night, I think working off a small part of over nine centuries of sexual tension was most definitely worth it." She looked down at her chest and began poking an ample, though not particularly large, bust. "Ah…you should have heard me last night, Hermione. I'm sure you don't know or want to know what it is like to have to be stuck in a body that's barely in its teens."

"This cannot be happening," Shino whimpered quietly, in shock.

"It did. Oh, and you want to know something, Sergeant Kuribayashi?" Rory asked, smirking her habitual feline smirk. "For someone so lazy, he has a LOT of stamina in bed. A good thing I picked up a decent supply of contraceptives. As an Apostle, I shouldn't be able to fall pregnant, but I didn't want to tempt fate. If you wanted to sleep with him, Sergeant, I do believe you would be very pleasantly surprised. He may be a Squib, but he has _magic hands_."

"LALALALALA! NOT LISTENING!" Shino screeched, clapping her hands to her ears, and Hermione, despite the awkwardness of the situation, laughed. Still, she fought down a brief pang of jealousy at Rory, who shot her one of her feline smirks. She was loving this altogether too much…

* * *

Harry had spent the next day touring Britain (mostly London) with his lovers and children in tow. After the awkward reunion with Andromeda, during which equally awkward apologies were exchanged, Andromeda agreed to head back with Harry to Falmart, though she didn't intend to head for the Bunny Warriors' settlement. Instead, she was considering either working with the JSDF, or else at Italica. Probably the latter, given Teddy, and how open-minded the Formals were towards non-humans. By the end of it, they were exhausted, especially after a brief audience with the Queen and the Prime Minister, and Tyuule had even given a speech to Parliament.

Eventually, though, they were able to head back to Japan, using Fawkes to get to the main checkpoint. Andromeda and Teddy were already waiting there, having brought their things and were waiting for the others. Komakado was waiting for them too, rubbing at his back. "Are they safe?" Harry asked.

"Your friends are very resourceful, even if Lieutenant Itami has a bad habit of not sticking to the plan. Still, that helped throw off our enemies. I half-expected Dirrell to tell MACUSA to go jump into a lake, but it seems that he's behaving. Probably hoping to exploit our alliance to start bringing in Americans amongst the scientific personnel, but I think we can live with that. Still, we've captured a number of Chinese and Russian operatives, not to mention we have some corpses to embarrass them with, thanks to them having a shootout outside the _onsen_ at Mount Hakone. No trouble in Britain?"

"Not that I know of," Harry said.

"Thank whatever god is listening for small mercies," Komakado harrumphed. "Incidentally, we just received a communications from Lieutenant General Hazama. Sirius Black and that Dark Elf he's shacked up with, Yao Ha Dushi, have come to the Alnus Hill base. They're asking the JSDF for help in dealing with the Flame Dragon, at the very least asking for weapons, anti-tank weapons. We're currently in negotiations with King Duran, as any force, official or otherwise, would have to go through his territory, and as we're beginning to work towards peace talks, we have to be careful. Oh, don't worry about it, Duran's being reasonable, and I'm sure that a small force can be sent."

"You'd need a tank or a fighter jet to kill that thing," Harry said. "At the very least, the best anti-tank weapons we can get."

"Of course. And killing it would send a message to the Empire. Sadly, it's increasingly unlikely that we will be able to topple the Emperor, but we believe that, between Princess Pina negotiating with the senators and the Flame Dragon being killed, he would be forced to negotiate. Incidentally, we've been looking over the various POWs with trained Legilimens. Some of them are rather worrying. The Princess mentioned one of her former Rose Knights, one Helm Fule Maio. Well…he believes what happened to him to be a humiliation, and is considering offering Zorzal stratagems to get back at us. I have to say, his ideas are crude but effective, and would do well for the asymmetrical warfare that they would have to wage to do any actual damage to us. We're working on countermeasures to that. Using compulsions and potions are out of the question…well, save for those that would normally be classified as pranks. Incidentally…I'm afraid I do have some bad news. And it concerns the three of you."

Tyuule blinked, before she said, "Explain."

Komakado sighed. "A few of the more influential POWs we captured were associates of Zorzal, not just Helm. And Helm, along with two others, know the identity of his concubine. We didn't realise the significance of this because the Japanese Ministry of Magic and the mundane government aren't communicating that well. And the Leglilmens didn't understand the significance of that name. I only caught it because someone finally deigned to catch up on their paperwork, and sent it over. Anyway, Zorzal's concubine is…"

The name he spoke hit Harry, Tyuule, and Delilah with all the force of a thunderbolt. "No…" Tyuule hissed. "How could she…? How could she debase herself with the very enemy she…?"

"Oh, apparently she's there very willingly," Komakado said ruefully. "Spite is a powerful motivator, Your Majesty, as I am sure you are aware. What's more, they suspect the Haryo of being involved too. It seems that they share a common goal: your downfall. Fortunately, they have been foiled by the Fidelius, but…I believe they hope to assassinate you, as you did tell her about how the Fidelius works. And as you are the Secret Keeper, Your Majesty…"

"If Tyuule dies, then everyone who knows the secret becomes Secret Keepers themselves, and can thus divulge it to whoever they want," Harry said with horror. "Meaning that that bitch can tell Zorzal and his cronies…"

"Indeed." Komakado handed over an envelope. "Here's the report. A few parts have been redacted, but the relevant parts are intact. And tread carefully. Zorzal may be a threat, but killing him may cause more problems than it solves with the Emperor. Politics, after all, is a murky quagmire, and diplomacy can be disrupted by political considerations..."

* * *

Soon, the others rejoined with Harry and his group. Harry had to wonder why an older-looking Rory had this rather satisfied look on her face, like the cat that got the cream, and why Itami looked embarrassed around her. They soon got into their vehicles and headed back through the Gate.

Soon after arriving back and getting a debriefing, Harry and the others soon met Yao and Sirius, though Pina and Bozes went off elsewhere, as did the JSDF soldiers. After exchanging stories, Sirius went outside to have his own talk with Andromeda…and to meet Teddy. Yao, meanwhile, pinched the bridge of her nose. "I understand their need for avoiding causing too much trouble…but I wish they would hurry up. Duran's just given his consent, but apparently they're trying to deal with the logistics involved in this operation. They're also setting up what they call an airstrip, for their fighter jets, as well as fuel reserves. They're even beginning construction of a town for the residents who are not part of the JSDF. But the longer we tarry, the more my people suffer."

"It's fine, Yao," Hermione said. "If need be, we will come with you ourselves, even if the JSDF doesn't."

The Dark Elf nodded. "Thank you. I believe Hazama is seriously considering helping us. Yesterday, he had me go to a training range, and I was taught how to use those anti-tank rockets. The considerations are different to a sword or a bow. Ensuring nobody is hit by the backblast of the rocket launcher, safety mechanisms…"

Hodor looked Yao in the eye. "Regardless of whose help you get, you can count on mine, Lady Yao. The Flame Dragon killed many of my friends, and if it weren't for Luna, I believe Tuka and I would be cinders. If these weapons can bring down a calamity such as the Flame Dragon, then I will be willing to use them."

"You have our support as well," Tyuule said.

"I know. Thankfully, the warning ensured that many of us were able to evacuate," Yao said. "Still…many of my good friends have died, thanks to that damnable Flame Dragon…"

* * *

Harry and Tyuule soon met up with Pina and Bozes, who were looking to soon head back to their home. "Harry," she said. "Your Majesty…I thank you for this opportunity. I find myself astonished at the goodwill the Japanese have given. But I fear that the difficult part is coming soon."

"Yeah. Leaving aside the various senators you have to convince, to say nothing of your father, there's Zorzal. You know how he'd react to any peace process."

"Indeed," Pina said. "And before we left, that man Komakado warned me about Helm."

"And there's more. A group of mages from Britain might be making a move here," Harry said. "The Ministry in Britain and Japan are trying to stop them, but…"

"I see. I suppose it would be too much to ask for things to go smoothly. Though I will admit, I enjoyed my time in Japan. Especially it's…art and literature."

Judging by the blush on her cheeks and Bozes', she meant something rather saucy. Harry chuckled. "Well, you got something out of it at least. But still…watch your back when you get home. Zorzal's up to something."

Tyuule nodded. "Indeed. And he has a traitor to our people helping him…"

* * *

The sound of flesh slapping against flesh and cries of carnal pleasure filled the bedroom. In another time, when Tyuule had been forcibly made the concubine of Prince Zorzal, the sounds would have been of rape, but here, it was consensual. But despite the issue of consent, the two here weren't bound in anything like a healthy relationship. It wasn't love or affection that drew these two twisted souls together, but spite and a mutual desire for revenge. Their lust was a tainted one, their lovemaking rough, the cacophony they emitted more theatrical, a game of sexual one-upmanship to exaggerate the pleasure they felt. Oh, they were great at pleasuring each other, but in truth, they were found wanting despite that, and so, bolstered it with artifice.

Exclamations rang out, and soon, the two bedmates separated, their bodily fluids staining the expensive sheets of the bed. But those were nothing compared to the stains on their souls. Panting, Zorzal El Caesar mustered up a grin. He was sore as fuck, his back had all but been scratched to ribbons, and yet, it was so fucking worth it. Especially after so long being laid up, thanks to that prick of a wizard.

His lover and co-conspirator curled up next to him. True, she didn't share all of Tyuule's features, but the way she was willing to dye her fur so that she looked like that bitch he should've had in bed, the things she told him…plus, she was a great fuck. She knew her place, and it was, if not as his equal, then far greater than a mere concubine would normally suspect.

Yes…one day, he would smash the Bunny Warriors, and he would make that bitch of a queen watch as he took apart that so-called 'Honoured Sorcerer' apart, piece by piece. Then, he would fuck her in every hole she had, and slit her throat as he finished her off.

And he would do it with the help of Renner…

 **CHAPTER 18 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Zorzal's mystery collaborator has been revealed…not that it was a mystery to some of you. Next chapter, the Flame Dragon and Giselle!**

 **Review-answering time!** **rmarcano321** **: A silly question. Tyuule's fate in** ** _GATE_** **canon was a bad one. I wanted to give her a better one. Simple as that. The whole marriage thing was due to the challenge Anubis of the Highway Thieves gave that I emulated.**

 **Kaiya Azure** **: Well, not really. She's only going to use the Aging Potion when she's fairly certain that she doesn't need to enter combat.**

 **Guest** **(regarding McGonagall's age, amongst other things): The Harry Potter wiki states that McGonagall was born in October 1935, so she would have been a young girl during World War II, not even going to Hogwarts. This comes from sources in Pottermore, along with sources in Harry Potter canon. Even though I shifted Potterverse canon ahead by ten years, at least where Harry and company were concerned, her birthdate, for the sake of this story, remains the same. Regarding Harry and Teddy, keep in mind, Harry's still filled with resentment and anger towards Andromeda Tonks, and he's not thinking straight. Thanks for your praise as to how I handled Ron.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	20. Chapter 19: Rock the Dragons

**CHAPTER 19:**

 **ROCK THE DRAGONS**

"So she's into _yaoi?_ " Harry asked flatly. "Princess Pina Co Lada has gotten into _yaoi_ manga, along with Bozes Co Palesti. I…don't know what to say to that."

Rory chuckled. She was once more in her younger form as they sat in the newly-built tavern of what was becoming called Alnus Town. "I find it highly amusing. I certainly found a lot while shopping in…was it Akihabara? I knew Hermione called my fashion 'Gothic Lolita', and that it was particularly prevalent in Japan, but still…oh, I have so many choices now, at least for clothes that I can wear for more formal functions to avoid them getting filthy or ripped. I have prayed to Emroy, and he finds my new garments pleasing. The next time I am in your world, I will see if I can go to other countries. Britain, the United States of America, France, Italy…"

Luna nodded. "I'll be staying here at Alnus. The Elves here have nowhere else to go, at least for now."

"Once the Flame Dragon is dealt with, we will rebuild elsewhere in the forest," Hodor said. "Still, Japan was an astonishing place. A shame nature had given way to artifice, but…it was still interesting. I am glad Tuka and I have lived long enough to witness such things."

"I'm not going on that subway again, though," Tuka said, shuddering.

"You and me both," Rory said, shuddering even more. "I don't care what Itami or Hermione said, I could feel Hardy reaching for me, even in that world."

Harry looked over at Hermione, who shook her head. "She fears going underground thanks to Hardy, remember? Even on another world, she couldn't get over it."

"Have you ever **_seen_** Hardy with what Luna called a 'rape face'?" Rory said with a shiver. "I have. It was two centuries ago, but I have never forgotten! _You do_ _ **not**_ _want to see Hardy with a rape face!_ "

"…It was a mistake allowing Luna to discover the internet, wasn't it?" Harry asked.

"Trollolololololol!" Luna sang.

"Yes. Yes it was…" Hermione agreed. "Anyway, a group of us will be heading with Sirius and Yao to the Schwarz Forest. Those of us who intend to go, we will need training. Lelei and I have a 'railgun' spell that we can use, but Itami and I have been nutting out another plan. The Flame Dragon uses an extinct volcano as a nest, specifically in an old cave. Aside from rocket launchers, Itami is considering using plastic explosives to create a booby-trap."

"Plastic explosives…" Yao mused. "Hmm…the cave, to my knowledge, is filled with the weapons of those who have tried to slay the Flame Dragon in its slumber. Could those help?"

"Perhaps. If they are metal weapons, I could use the railgun spell to bombard the dragon. However, it does need a considerable amount of time to warm up, to use it to its full potential," Lelei said in her quiet voice.

"A bunch of grenades in its mouth prevented it from breathing fire, even if they didn't kill it," Harry mused. "Do you think those rocket launchers could cause a cave-in, though?"

"Possibly," Yao said. "I think this plastic explosive stuff is more likely to, though. My people would want to fight alongside you should you come, though."

"That may not be wise, Yao," Hodor said. "With all due respect for your people's skills as warriors, can we be sure to be able to train them to use the JSDF's weapons in the short time we have? And in addition, have them use them in a moment of peril without panic? I doubt that even myself or Tuka could. You saw for yourself that these rocket launchers do require certain procedures to use, despite the apparent lack of skill compared to the bow we favour. I don't want to impugn your people, Yao. But if we do not take care and bring them up needlessly, all we would do is to bring them to their deaths."

Yao scowled, but eventually nodded. "I understand this, Hodor. I know you say this not to cast aspersions, but out of concern for my people. Still…they'll want to feel as if they contributed to the victory against the Flame Dragon. Our people take debts of honour very seriously. Indeed, if it weren't for Sirius explaining things, I would have had to offer our greatest treasure at the very least. If I wasn't Sirius' lover already, I would have to offer myself as well."

Tyuule shook her head. "A mistake. From what we know, using sex and swearing one's self to servitude as a means of bartering is either frowned upon or illegal on Earth. This isn't to say it isn't used, but it's not an acceptable thing in most places. Yao, I will send a few of my trusted warriors to help. However, I desire to go home, as I have spent long enough away from my people, and I have our children to consider. Delilah and Harry have already committed themselves, I believe, to helping you, so my only admonishment to you is to ensure they stay alive."

"I will do my utmost," Yao said.

Tyuule then fixed Harry with a stern look. "And Harry…don't do anything reckless."

"…I'm about to face off against a Flame Dragon," Harry said flatly. "Define reckless."

"I will be sending Parna here as our representative," Tyuule said, deciding to drop that particular issue for now. "She's been getting restless, as well as curious about meeting the JSDF. And we need someone close to the Japanese on a long term basis…"

* * *

Tyuule left for home with the children. Meanwhile, Harry, Delilah, and the others who were coming along on the Flame Dragon hunt trained for a few days. Hermione and Lelei refined the railgun spell (the mechanics were too complicated to teach Harry in such a short period), while the others learned quickly how to use weapons like the RPG launchers and plastic explosives. The latter was actually mostly a crash course in safety procedures rather than usage: for all of C4's relative safety, it was still a powerful explosive and deserved to be treated with the respect such a thing needed.

The plan was to try and sneak up on the Flame Dragon, use Hermione and Lelei's railgun spell to try and kill it, and if that failed, then they intended to follow up with rocket launchers, a C4 booby-trap, and if all else failed, they intended to call on air support. The Third Recon Unit would be going, with fighter jets on standby to follow if need be. They had just been prepped for the mission. Finally, they took a Portkey to the nesting grounds of the Flame Dragon…

* * *

Harry was glad that they hadn't brought along Yao's people. For all their ability as warriors, it would have been tough preparing them for this. Instead, Sirius sent Patronus messages, warning them of what was going to happen. Rory would stand guard outside the cave, given her fear of going underground. Harry had given Rory a communications mirror, as radio might not work well within the cave.

As Itami and the rest of the 33rd Recon Team began setting up C4 charges, the others began looking around. Hermione and Lelei began gathering the various swords present, and putting them into a pile. "What are you doing with all of those?" Sirius asked.

Hermione smirked. "Ask Itami what 'Unlimited Blade Works' is."

Itami and Kurata stopped as they were placing one package of C4, and then stared at Hermione and Lelei. "You're kidding me," Itami said flatly. "You two are going to go all Archer on the Flame Dragon's ass?"

"Yes. It'll be more of a strain firing multiple projectiles at once, but…" Lelei said.

"What the hell is Unlimited Blade Works?" Sirius asked.

Itami and Kurata chuckled. "Only one of the coolest bits of magic ever," Kurata said. "You know, we should sit you guys down in front of _Fate/Stay Night_ one of these days."

"Let's put it this way: think of a rainstorm, only instead of water, you have swords," Itami said.

Sirius and Yao's eyes widened comically, and they turned to Hermione and Lelei. "Umm, isn't that overkill?" Sirius asked.

"No such thing," Hermione said. "Tuka, Hodor, we might need you to use your spiritual magic. I think storm magic should help."

"Got it," Tuka said, and the two High Elves nodded.

* * *

As the 3rd Recon Team finished their preparations, Harry felt the mirror vibrate, and he activated it. "Rory? What's wrong?"

" _The Flame Dragon's on its way!_ " Rory yelled, looking rather harassed and harried. " _But Harry…I know who woke it up! She's after me! Giselle!_ "

"Giselle!" Yao hissed, her eyes wide. "But she's the Apostle of Hardy, our patron deity! Why would she…?"

" _Do you think Hardy cares about a thing like collateral damage?!_ " Rory yelled, before suddenly, the mirror was smacked out of her hands. The view splintered, and then Harry got a good look from a rather raunchy angle someone who would have been sexy had she not been, well, threatening Rory. Blue skin, wings, horns, dressed in what looked like elaborate white lingerie.

" _My, my, Rory, calling for help?_ " sneered what had to be Giselle. " _Don't you have any pride as an Apostle? You've sent those fools to my mistress' embrace, and soon, you will submit_ …"

Harry, after a moment, looked at the others, grabbing one of the rocket launchers. "I'm going to help her. The Flame Dragon will be here soon!" The nods of acknowledgement from those present was all he needed as he sprinted out.

* * *

Delilah followed him outside with her own rocket launcher, the others staying behind, even as the roar of the Flame Dragon echoed through the cave. They soon found Rory in mortal combat with Giselle…and the blue bitch wasn't alone, with a pair of smaller dragons turning to face Harry and Delilah. "Rory!" Harry yelled, before firing a Body Bind at Giselle. She fell to the ground with an indignant squawk, and Rory took advantage of Giselle's paralysis to impale her to the ground with her halberd.

The dragon whelps, seeing their mistress get paralysed, roared at Harry and Delilah. The two steadied themselves, aiming at a dragon apiece. Delilah's shot annihilated the torso of one dragon, and it died writhing and keening in agony, but Harry's shot only served to cause its guts to spill out, and it was still very much alive. But even as it prepared to breathe fire at Harry, Rory wrenched her halberd out of Giselle, and tore the wound open more, causing a torrent of blood and viscera to spill out, bathing her in it, much to her clear pleasure.

But then, Giselle was on her feet, glaring at Rory. "You insufferable little **_bitch!_** " she screamed. She turned to glare at Harry and Delilah. "I'm done with playing around, trying to play nice! Your mortal friends are DEAD!" With that, she launched herself at Harry.

Harry whipped out his wand, the Elder Wand, and swiftly cast the first thing that came to mind: _Sectumsempra_. Deep gashes opened up alongside Giselle's body, the arm holding her scythe fell away, and her wings flew off without the rest of her, causing her to crash into Harry, dazing him. Delilah gripped Giselle around the neck, and then broke it. It wouldn't slow her down for long, but it gave Harry enough time to snap out of his daze, and kick Giselle off him. He got to his feet, and snarled, " _Fiendfyre._ "

Cursed flames blasted out of the Elder Wand, and Giselle was engulfed, screaming in agony, flailing within the diabolical flames. Being a Dragonid and an Apostle meant that she was resistant to fire…but resistant did not necessarily mean wholly immune. "Feel that?!" Harry yelled. "That's the sort of pain your victims, the victims of the Flame Dragon, went through! All because your fucking mistress doesn't understand that NO! MEANS! **_NOOOOO!_** "

Suddenly, the ground shook, and there was the sound of a roaring dragon…only plaintive, and pained. Harry turned, and saw dust coming from the caldera of the mountain. Then, a short while later, there was another explosion, hurling rocks out of the crater, as if the volcano was erupting anew.

He turned back to Giselle, who was little more than an animated mannequin of burnt meat, staring up at the caldera in horror from a small crater of glassy rock. "Impossible," she rasped, even as her cooked flesh began to slide back together. "How…how could…how could mere mortals beat the Flame Dragon…the one I needed to subdue Rory so that she could be my mistress' wife."

Harry sneered, and kicked out as hard as he could, breaking Giselle's regenerating nose. "All that was worth killing all those innocent people? Tuka's village? Yao's village? You nearly killed the people from Coda! People have died, Giselle!"

"That's what people **_DO(_** ** _1)_** ** _!_** " Giselle said as if explaining to a small child, only to yell the last syllable, leaping up to try and attack him, only for Delilah, who had her sword at the ready, to stab her with it. Rory then impaled Giselle with her halberd, pinning her to the ground once more. "You dare…turn my mistress' gift, the Deathly Hallows, against me, her herald and Apostle?"

"Yeah, I dare. And if your mistress wants Rory, she's going to have to go through me. I've killed a supposedly immortal warlock before. And maybe the Master of Death means I'm the Master of your mistress. How does that sound?"

"Pinned face down, getting spanked…my, my, Giselle, is it Wednesday already(2)?" Rory asked. She looked up at Harry and Delilah, and her smirk became a grateful smile. "…Thank you. I could have handled her myself, but…"

Harry walked over to Rory, and put his hand on her shoulder. "I promised you, didn't I?"

Yao hurried out, Sirius in tow, the others trailing not far behind. Thankfully, the worst injuries they seemed to have were some cuts and bruises. Yao looked down at Giselle, fury and sorrow and incomprehension warring on her face. "Why? Why did Hardy forsake us?" she asked, tears running down her face.

"The Flame Dragon was needed to subdue Hardy's wife. Why are you so angry? Your people have gone to their mistress," Giselle said.

"…Then I renounce her. If she cares little for our people when pursuing another, then I am no longer Yao Ha Dushi, but Yao Ro Dushi."

Giselle stared at Yao flatly, before she sneered. "Apostate."

Harry sent a Cutting Curse at Giselle's head, pulping it. "Mind your language," Harry said as her head reformed, before kneeling down and meeting her eyes. "The next time you go after people I hold dear…well, let's give you a taste. _Crucio!_ "

Giselle spasmed and screamed and thrashed, her movements tearing open her body from where Rory's halberd had impaled her. Harry held it for several seconds, before he relented. As Giselle looked up at him, fear now dancing in her eyes, he said, "I don't like using that spell. A good friend of mine had his parents tortured into a catatonic state with that spell, and it taints your soul with darkness. But you deserve it. You deserve it because you don't care that so many people died because of what you and your bitch of a mistress did. I used to be so full of mercy, Giselle. You get one warning. _That was it._ Do you understand?"

Giselle nodded fearfully, and Rory promptly pulled the halberd out. Giselle, not quite broken, but certainly not wanting to linger, staggered over to her scythe, picked it up, and looked over at the group, before shuddering slightly. Then, she flew off.

Harry looked over at the others. Apart from a few cuts and bruises, they seemed fine. "Is it dead?"

Itami nodded grimly. "Yeah. We'll be sending over some choppers to take the carcass back. Showing it off is sure to be a propaganda coup."

"My people have been avenged," Hodor said solemnly, his arms around his daughter's shoulders.

"As have mine," Yao said, Sirius' hand on his shoulder.

"We used the railgun spell plus the weapons to assail the Flame Dragon," Lelei said, to the unspoken question. "While it was grievously wounded, it was trying its best to kill us. We evacuated, and managed to detonate the explosives from a safe distance."

"That horrid beast is dead," Tuka said morosely. Not out of any sorrow towards the Flame Dragon, but towards the people it killed. The buxom blonde Elf was shivering a little.

"That means the Empire has been put on notice," Delilah said, looking across the landscape, towards the Imperial Capital.

"Yeah, but do you think they'll listen?" Itami asked.

"Molt might. Pina will. Diabo, probably. But Zorzal?" Delilah asked. "He's a wild card. And with Renner by his side, things are looking dangerous…"

 **CHAPTER 19 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And so, the Flame Dragon has been killed, earlier than in canon and with less casualties. Probably because of less BS being involved. Less stupidity involving Yao and Tuka, the JSDF already knowing about Duran and negotiating things, Yao accepting that she shouldn't involve her people when they haven't been trained in using modern weapons, etcetera. I had the Flame Dragon die offscreen because I am admittedly crap at writing fight scenes, and I wanted Harry to come to the rescue of Rory.**

 **This will probably be the last chapter for quite a while. Flame Dragon antics aside, this will be the point where a timeskip to the events of the second half of the anime takes place, and I'm not up to writing that yet.**

 **Review-answering time!** **rmarcano321** **: That's rather difficult to answer. Zorzal is more of a sadist, but Voldemort is rather more intelligent for the most part. And they have similar xenophobic attitudes.**

 **ragnar thorson** **: True, but those in authority don't want the Empire to be destabilised. Even Harry and Tyuule don't want the average Imperial citizen to suffer through the inevitable bloodshed that would follow Molt's death.**

 **zetsubougintama** **: Renner and Zorzal's relationship is one of mutual gain out of spite. Unlike Tyuule, whom Zorzal believed was under his thumb but really wasn't, Renner and Zorzal are, if not equals, then equally set on the same goal: destroying Tyuule and Harry. Of course, this basically means that Renner IS, in the end, Tyuule without the redeeming elements, and they will inevitably backstab each other, but their relationship is perhaps closer, though that's not a good thing for such twisted people. It's a bit like the post-Trial relationship between Travis and Servalan (played by the sadly recently-deceased Jacqueline Pearce) from** ** _Blake's 7_** **, only with a lot more sex involved. Neither truly trust each other, but they have mutual goals.**

 **Speaking of your crossover idea, while I haven't played** ** _Fallout: New Vegas_** **(I have it on Steam, though, so I should play it one day), I think that's a rather nice idea. Why not post it on DZ2 and whitetigerwolf's forums?**

 **Now, to your actual questions. Firstly, given that Teddy is nine years old, Harry is about 26-27 in this part of the story. While I left the age vague deliberately initially, I eventually decided (while writing the previous chapter) that, in order to bring Teddy to Falmart without any attachments to Hogwarts, I needed Teddy to be pre-Hogwarts age.**

 **Secondly, Zorzal is based mostly on his anime incarnation, as that is the only version I have seen, with my filling the gaps a little from fanfic. For various reasons, I don't go for scanlations, and I want to actually read a physical book if the** ** _GATE_** **manga gets translated (apparently it's still on the cards, but the translators are apparently having quality issues). Delilah is another matter entirely: because she was never forced to join the Formal household, I based her on a hybrid of how she acts when she goes to assassinate Noriko in the anime, as well as other similar characters. I based this version of Delilah a little on Fran from** ** _Final Fantasy XII_** **, Chani from** ** _Dune_** **, and various loyal retainer characters throughout fiction. If you mean physical appearance, then they basically look like they do in the anime. Zorzal is NOT a blonde Shinji, though. I think of him more as an Iskandar wannabe who bleaches his hair and still shaves.**

 **And I'd love to see more Tyuule redemption fics. She needs a happy ending (like Nana from** ** _Elfen Lied_** **, Illya and Sakura from the Nasuverse, half the cast of** ** _Evangelion_** **). Any writers reading this who want to do a** ** _GATE_** **fanfic, do more with Tyuule getting a better deal.**

 **1\. Giselle, of course, is mimicking Moriarty from** ** _Sherlock: The Great Game_** **.**

 **2\. Rory is paraphrasing Vegeta's taunt to Zarbon in** ** _Vam Qan Namek_** **, Episode 16 of** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **.**


	21. Chapter 20: To Pay the Piper

**CHAPTER 20:**

 **TO PAY THE PIPER**

Tyuule frowned as she went over the report, looking up at Mydia. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Lady Tyuule, or at least as sure as I can be given hearsay and rumour," Mydia said. "We have few contacts within the Haryo, as you know, but I have reason to believe that they are true."

"I should have known that Zorzal and Renner would have had links to those bastards, even before that man Komakado told us. But to think they'd go so far as to set the Piper on us…I should have seen this coming."

Noriko, who was also present, frowned. "The Piper? Who is that, Lady Tyuule?"

They were in Tyuule's personal offices, and Harry was lounging on a chair, though his expression was grim. He'd only heard something about this infamous assassin, but what he heard was enough to scare him. "An infamous shapeshifter, with ties to the Haryo, apparently. Nobody's quite sure what he or she looks like. However, their MO is pretty twisted: they like to manipulate other people by telling lies or half-truths, even the full truth, to act as proxy assassins. At best, said proxies can do the Piper's work for them. At worst, well, they can act as distractions."

Mydia nodded. "Forgive me if I presumed too much, Lady Tyuule, but I asked both Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood for ideas. Their warding ability is superior to your consort, if you'll forgive me for saying so, Harry."

"No offence. I'm more adept at magical combat in general," Harry said. "Still, is the Piper known for actually using mind manipulation magic, or are they just good at getting under people's skins?"

"The latter. The only proven proxies had no signs of mental manipulation magic," Tyuule said. "The Piper has been known to use threats, bribes, or simple persuasion. That being said, the only times the Piper has killed high profile targets have been senators who have targeted the Haryo in the past."

"Well, if this is any indication," Mydia said, tapping the reports, "the Piper is becoming more ambitious in their choice of targets, even if it's at the orders of Zorzal and Renner. According to what we have heard, the Piper has a number of people in their sights. Already, the fame of those who killed the Flame Dragon has spread, and Emperor Molt Sol Augustus is deliberately downplaying the role of the JSDF, Lady Mercury, Delilah and, of course, the mages from Earth. However, he is also pointing to Lelei as an upstanding citizen of the Empire, even though she feels no affiliation to it."

"Zorzal's jealous, then," Tyuule sneered in contempt. "According to this, he's targeting Lelei in particular, aside from myself and Harry. Assuming this is correct, of course."

"We can't dismiss you being targets of the Piper anyway," Delilah said. "And as Lelei is with the Japanese, then we should notify them too. They have less experience with shapeshifters than we do, the human Metamorphmagi of their mages aside."

"We'd better notify Pina too," Harry decided. "And Diabo too. Zorzal may target them, given how they're trying to curry favour with the UN on the quiet."

They'd received word that, after the debacle involving the trip around Japan, the UN and the ICW had gotten involved, and now, an international peacekeeping and liaison force was being set up. Japan and the JSDF would retain overall control, true, and were the bulk of the actual military forces, but other countries were getting involved, albeit in small ways.

"We'll need to have Pina relay a warning to her father," Delilah said. "As much as I despise Molt, better him on the throne than Zorzal. But Zorzal or his allies may decide to assassinate Molt so they can put Zorzal on the throne. And that would be a disaster. Pina said he's been showing some concerning interest in reviving the Oprichniki."

"The what?" Harry asked.

Noriko frowned. "That sounds like the name of the secret police used by Ivan the Terrible in Russia to conduct purges over four hundred years ago," she mused. "Could Russian mages from that era have made it to this world like Harry, Hermione, Luna and Sirius did?"

"Possibly. The first usage of the term does date back about four hundred years ago, during a bloody civil war within the Saderan Empire," Delilah said, crossing her arms. "They were, as you said, a secret police, wearing hoods in the shape of kobold's heads, and wielding brooms with concealed lances. Hatchet men of the then-Emperor. So of course Zorzal would be interested in them."

"That's all we need. Right, for now, the priority is working on protecting ourselves from the Piper," Tyuule decided. "I only want trusted people around our children, more so than usual. Whatever anti-shapeshifter wards Hermione and Luna can come up with, we need placed around our settlement, Alnus Hill, and Italica. I know we are protected by the Fidelius, but we make frequent trips to those places, and we can't rule out the possibility that the Piper has mingled with visitors whom we've had to reveal the Fidelius to, especially with Renner probably being able to tell the rough location to."

And then, Harry's palm met his face. "Or, maybe it's as simple as…Point Me, the Piper."

* * *

The wand in Harry's palm spun briefly, before it finally settled to a halt. He frowned. "Bad news…the Piper, whoever they are, is very close."

"How can you tell?" Noriko asked.

"A little bit of triangulation," Harry said. "Just by shifting a little bit in this room, the direction changed enough so that we know that the Piper is somewhere in the settlement. Ugh, I should've thought of this sooner. It must mean I'm contracting Sinyk's Thaumatological Intelligence Syndrome." On their looks, he said, "Daft Moron Syndrome we call it in private. Basically, when you have magic, you sometimes forget what you can do with it(1). Stay here, Noriko."

As they rushed out, they nearly ran into Rory Mercury, who had turned up for one of her unannounced visits. "Ah, Harry, I wanted to…"

"No time, Rory!" Harry said, checking his wand briefly to ensure that it was really Rory. "Gotta go find the Piper!"

They soon came to a tavern…rather clichéd for a shady character to come to one…and they entered. Harry checked his wand…and then his eyes narrowed as they went over to a rather non-descript Bunny Warrior (as non-descript as such an attractive species could be, anyway). Their eyes met, and her eyes widened briefly, before they narrowed. Suddenly, quick as a flash, she flung her knife at Tyuule. There was no time to erect a Shield Charm. Instinctively, Harry interposed himself between the knife and Tyuule…and it embedded itself in his shoulder.

Rory, however, hesitated only briefly before flinging herself over the tables at the Piper. There was too little room in here to use her halberd…but she smashed the Piper in the face with a punch, sending the shapeshifting assassin slamming into a wall. Rory was on her in an instant, grabbing her by the shoulders and slamming her against the wall again with a strength her petite body normally wouldn't possess. "I've been looking for you for a very long time, Piper," Rory cooed, her sickly sweet tone not quite matching the fury in her crimson eyes. "I hope you don't dedicate your kills to Emroy, I'm sure he'd take umbrage at that."

To Tyuule's concern, though, Harry began grunting in pain, black veins beginning to appear around the wound, before he vomited copiously. "Hydra venom," she hissed. "FAWKES!"

The Phoenix appeared in a flash of flame and an ethereal song. Soon, Fawkes was weeping into Harry's wound after the knife was taken out. And Harry, shakily, got to his feet, glaring at the Piper, Tyuule, Delilah and Mydia glaring at the shapeshifter as well. "Lady Mercury…bring that Haryo trash to the gaol. Feel free to not be gentle."

"I won't talk!" the Piper sneered.

"That's fine, dear," Rory said, before she slammed the Piper's head into the wall, hard, knocking her out. "Screaming in agony's just fine too…"

* * *

They soon had the Piper chained to a chair in the gaol of the Bunny Warrior settlement. Unconscious, the shapeshifter had reverted to her base form, a rather sexy, vaguely lupine demi-human. "Do you think we managed to get her before she managed to turn anyone into her proxies?" Harry asked, clutching at his wounded shoulder, barely healed with a spell. It was still fucking painful, even after Fawkes saved his life, again. Delilah and Mydia were currently looking after their children, just in case.

"Considering that there haven't been any attempts on your life yet, I doubt it," Rory said, leaning up against the wall, crossing her arms. "While she may have managed to start cultivating those people, analysing her abilities suggests that she uses short term manipulation for the most part. And when did you get those reports about her?"

Harry frowned. They had told Rory about the reports. "Only now. Our agents either use communication mirrors or they call for Winky."

"I'd probably wager her being in this place for a few days at most, but it goes to show you still have to be careful about infiltrators, even with the Fidelius. I think Zorzal probably thought that killing Tyuule was the priority, in order to get rid of the Fidelius. That way, Renner would then be able to tell Zorzal and his supporters where your settlement is. And while Zorzal, theoretically, could use artillery to bombard the settlement, it would be imprecise, and to tell the truth, he'd prefer to crush you with military force. He probably still wants you as a concubine, albeit as an unwilling one. Of course, once she wakes up, you could always use Legilimency."

"Oh, I intend to," Harry said, glaring at the Piper. Hydra venom hurt like a bitch, making it to the Top 10 of pain-causing things, alongside Basilisk venom and the Cruciatus. This bitch had targeted the love of his life.

* * *

Her real name was Norra. If Harry had been less intent on finding out everything she knew, and angry towards her for what she tried to do, then he would have marvelled at the fact that he was the first person outside the Haryo to know the Piper's true name. Instead, he tore through her mind like a whirlwind, not caring what damage he left in his wake. And as he saw her memories, he felt that caring about her mind was a luxury he shouldn't indulge in.

True, her childhood as a demi-human, and of a type mistrusted throughout Falmart, was filled with sadness, abuse, discrimination. And had she felt any kind of regret for the lifestyle she got into, for the lives she took, the lives she manipulated, Harry might have actually felt sympathy for her. But she made her choice, and joined the Haryo, becoming their willing assassin. And not just willing, but one who enjoyed it.

With every kill she made, whether herself or by proxy, Harry's disgust grew as she revelled in the power she had over her victims, those she killed and those she made into killers. She didn't care about her victims, innocent or not. Indeed, she seemed to get off on what she did.

And then, one of her most recent memories. It showed a rather ugly porcine demi-human with dark green skin and cloth wrapped around part of its face, covering its left eye. Harry recognised him from descriptions: Bouro, the leader of the Haryo.

"… _Prince and Mistress Renner demand the death of Queen Tyuule. That has priority. Once you have succeeded, bring her head, and that of the mage Potter, to us. We'll have you go after the Rurudo girl later_ …"

Soon, Harry had seen enough, and withdrew himself from Norra's mind, who instantly threw up on herself, before she glared at him, her canine ears twitching. "You…what the hell did you do to me?"

"I read your mind like a book. Not a very nice book, really. Stained, dog-eared, and frankly, the story made me want to puke. So, Norra…yes, I know your real name…we know who sent you. We know why. And frankly, I'm not seeing any reason for you to stay alive. The world will be better off without you in it at least."

Norra sneered. "You don't have the guts, Harry Potter. You couldn't kill Zorzal or Renner when you had the chance, why start now?"

Rory Mercury chuckled. "Oh, Harry has it in him to kill, but unlike you, your habit of making people do your dirty work aside, he views it as a last resort." She then curtseyed to Tyuule. "Your Majesty, I humbly ask for your permission to give the Piper's soul to Emroy."

"Granted," Tyuule said.

"Hardy take you all to Tartarus! Especially you, Rory the Reaper!" Norra screamed, before she was impaled on the halberd.

"You first," Rory said coldly.

* * *

They sent the remains to roughly where the South Palace was, where Zorzal resided, in a box. They left no note, but one wouldn't be needed. Zorzal, Renner and the Haryo had been put on notice. They only stayed alive because killing Zorzal would kill the peace talks before they started, if only because the JSDF would either be suspected, or else they would be considered guilty by association with the Bunny Warriors. But the message delivered by Norra's body was clear. The next mistake they made would cost them their lives…

 **CHAPTER 20 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Okay, so I said in the last chapter that there would be a timeskip. However, after watching the last episodes of** ** _GATE_** **, and seeing the Piper in action, I knew there was no way in hell that Zorzal and Renner, allied as they are with the Haryo, wouldn't try sending the Piper to them. I considered having the Piper defect offscreen during the timeskip, but given what little we see of her in the anime, I don't think she's really redeemable at this point. It didn't seem plausible. Plus, I wanted to set up the Pureblood wizards as the next big enemy post-timeskip. Yeah, I know the Piper got taken out fairly easily, but Potterverse magic can be a bitch. Especially through fanfic. And yes, I know, if the Point Me spell could point to the right person, why not use it to confirm that it's the right person? Well, one, it's Daft Moron Syndrome all over again (see Annotation 1), and two, maybe Polyjuice or Metamorphmagus abilities can fool the Point Me spell.**

 **Now, onto more trivial matters. One, this will be the last chapter for a little while, as inspiration has run a little dry. However, the next chapter will deliver the promised timeskip.**

 **Two, this fic is, as of writing, now in the Top 10 of** ** _GATE_** **crossovers in terms of favourites. Thanks, guys!**

 **Three, I have recently published a new** ** _GATE_** **crossover…and it's also my first** ** _Star Wars_** **crossover. It's called** ** _GATE: Thus the Chosen One Fought There_** **…with Anakin Skywalker, about a year prior to Episode II, crashlanding in Falmart. Check it out if you haven't already.**

 **Four…I'm considering another possible Potterverse crossover with** ** _GATE_** **, but with a different premise and pairing. It's still in its early stages, though, and it's one of many story ideas being considered. Keep an eye on** ** _The Cauldron_** **for it.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Malhavoc Shadowlord** **and** **Ascended Humanity** **: I'm going to go with the fact that an Apostle is basically like a Master of Death Harry: not even a Killing Curse can kill them, for long, anyway. Their soul would probably just bounce right back into their body, like a ball on the end of a rubber band.**

 **Gabriel Herrol** **: I'm going to go with the Flame Dragon having, as Griffith put it in hbi2k's first episode of his Abridged version of** ** _Berserk: The Golden Age_** **, "A Y-Chromosome, balls, and a fully functioning dick".**

 **1\. A reference to Sinyk's brilliant (if full of bashing) story** ** _Harry Potter and the Daft Morons_** **.**


	22. Chapter 21: Diplomacy

**CHAPTER 21:**

 **DIPLOMACY**

 _Five months since the Gate opened_ …

Harry had to admit, Kouji Sugawara was one hell of a smooth operator. Then again, considering he was Japan's ambassador to Falmart, he'd have to be. Sugawara managed to be diplomatic without being oleaginous, an astonishing feat, and was smart enough to deal with the likes of Lord Cicero. Didn't help that he was a handsome man too. He had been a Foreign Affairs official who had liaised with Pina and Bozes during their initial trip to Japan.

Lord Cicero was one of the war hawks of the Senate, albeit one who was known to be a pragmatist. Pina, Sugawara, and with them, Harry and Tyuule, were currying his favour, as a prelude to overt peace talks. And to this end, they were hosting this shindig at Pina's palace. Aside from using the meals as a means of lubricating the diplomacy, the JSDF were intending to make some demonstrations of their weapons, as a lesson.

Hermione and Lelei were also on-hand to help explain some things, along with the 3rd Recon Team. Indeed, one of the 3rd Recon Team, a talented cook by the name of Private Furuta Hitoshi, was one of the main cooks for the event. Apparently he had his dream of opening his own restaurant one day, and had been a chef for a prestigious restaurant until he got into a quarrel with an obnoxious relative of the owners that led to him being fired. The way he cooked Ma Nuga meat was proving to be a hit. Hitoshi had also recently entered into a relationship with Parna, who was running the tavern in Alnus Town. Tyuule, oddly enough, felt a strange sort of kinship with Furuta, a sort of sense of déjà vu.

Harry also learned more about Itami's past as the Japanese soldier got more comfortable with him. Apparently his father was abusive towards his mother, and it only worsened when his father learned that his mother had been a Squib, calling her an evil witch who had somehow controlled his mind using potions. Itami's mother killed Itami's father in self-defence, and then tried to kill herself by immolation after her sanity eroded. She was sent to an asylum, and had remained there ever since.

The Flame Dragon's head now had pride of place near Alnus, with pictures taken and dropped as leaflets throughout the Saderan Empire. Propaganda, of course, and one of the oldest kinds of propaganda, but ridiculously effective. Molt was under pressure to at least treat with the Japanese, but he was prevaricating. Given that the Japanese hadn't actually launched any incursions into his lands, he probably hoped that he could muster up an army to take them down, or at least drive them back through the Gate. Or maybe he was just trying to think of what he could offer the Japanese to get them to fuck off. Downplaying everyone else's involvement but Lelei's had been an interesting bit of propaganda from the monarch.

Trade of certain resources aside, the Japanese didn't want to conquer, as far as Harry knew and hoped. Then again, most of the Japanese he had met were the members of the JSDF, and most of them were not too bad for military types. Then again, the JSDF hadn't really fought a war before. Who knew what the politicians were thinking, and how many of them thought along similar lines like Yanagida?

And there were the international personnel who had come through. While many, Harry was sure, were here for genuinely decent reasons, he couldn't help but be suspicious of a few of them. The JSDF were keeping an eye on them, though.

By now, Pina was aware that Harry and Tyuule headed up Asterix. They knew by now that she was enough of an ally to them to risk admitting that. Which was why they were at this party. Officially, they were here to curry Pina's favour for revising parts of the treaty between the Bunny Warriors and the Empire. Unofficially, she was liaising with Asterix. Pina's views on slavery had taken a change for the better, thankfully. But given how a good chunk of the economy of the Empire was based on slavery, well, it'd be hard to change it.

"Do you think these demonstrations would help?" Tyuule asked.

"I hope that it does," Pina sighed, watching as assault rifles demolished a veritable wall of dummies dressed in the armour of the soldiers of the Imperial Army. "Already, the human cost of this conflict has been too high. My father is hoping that, once he rebuilds the army enough from levies, he can launch some sort of counterattack. Cicero and Casel are the key. Casel already has support for bringing about peace, especially with the Thierry line, but Cicero is the one the hawks listen to for the most part. Diabo can help as well."

Harry looked over to where Diabo Sol Caesar stood, watching the weapons demonstrations with concern. The handsome, if shifty-looking and pensive blonde-haired young man had a vaguely Pettigrew vibe to him, which had Harry ill at ease. Pina had said that they could trust him to a point: his ambitions had him desiring the throne, but Diabo had hinted that he would support Pina in her own bid for the throne, as long as he had a prominent enough position in her government. However, they also knew that, should Zorzal take the throne, Diabo would probably go into hiding.

"Any further news on what Zorzal has been up to?" Harry asked quietly.

"No. Ever since the body of the Piper was found outside his palace, he's become more reclusive," Pina said. "However, he's been seen in the company of strangers, and not demi-humans from the Haryo either."

"That's the problem," Tyuule said, closing her eyes. "A quiet enemy is a dangerous one. They're plotting or preparing. And one seen in the company of strangers. Were they mages?"

"They could have been, but my spies have been silent, either in fear of their lives, or else something else."

"So have ours," Tyuule said. "We just hoped you might have some information. The Japanese were considering putting a spy into Zorzal's household, but I'm worried that Zorzal will probably find out who it is and kill them. Assassinating Zorzal is a last resort, as we're trying to look for peace, and Zorzal being assassinated may just make Molt fight a war to the bitter end, even if he dies in the process. Personally, I don't care less about his fate, as cruel as that sounds Pina, but the citizens of the Empire and its vassal states are another matter, and they'd get caught up in it."

"I despise politics," Harry said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "It always complicates things. All this?" He indicated the weapons demonstrations, which had gone on to showing off mortars. "In a way, it's a form of arm-twisting to get you to come to terms. If the Japanese or its allies wanted, they could try exploiting this world. For all I know, they may still do so. I'm hoping that won't be the case, but…as well-meaning as Itami and Hazama are, I've experienced too much of the greed of people back home to believe that it won't happen." Then, after a moment, he smirked. "Oh God, look at poor Sugawara. He's got a fangirl."

Tyuule and Pina looked over at Sugawara, who was fending off the advances of a girl of about twelve or so, at least half his age if not more. Pina tittered. "Lady Sherry of the Thierry family," she remarked. "She's quite fascinated with the cultures of Earth. Must be infatuated with Sugawara. Poor man. Still, despite her youth, she's actually very intelligent. Her family have been teaching her about the local politics."

"Yes, I met her before," Harry said. "Kept pestering me for questions about Britain."

"Better her than some of those journalists we met at Alnus," Tyuule said. "Who was that rather annoying Japanese man?"

"Oh, you mean Kazunari Komurazaki?" Harry asked. "Yeah, I heard about him from Kuwahara. Never thought I'd meet a journalist who makes Rita Skeeter look desirable until I met him. How the hell he got allowed here, I don't know. He's more of a paparazzi than a serious journalist. Shino's little sister is much better, even if she's skittish."

"The downside of freedom of speech," Pina remarked. "Still…they would never have had such things as manga without it, I am sure." She blushed a little. "Bozes and I are enjoying the latest issue Risa translated for us."

Harry chuckled a little. " _Yaoi_ 's not actually my thing. Still, there's quite a few works of literature I'd be glad to have translated into your language."

"Hermione's been doing so," Pina said. "She sent me a number of works about the Roman Empire of your world, and discussed the theory she had about our descent from a Roman group, not to mention a number of novels. There was one about a great empire and a desert world called _Dune_ , and another called _Guards! Guards!_ , a humorous one, apparently." She then frowned as Itami spoke into his radio urgently. Then, he began calling out for an evacuation.

Harry, Tyuule, Pina and Diabo hurried down from the balcony and headed for Itami. "What's the matter?" Pina asked.

"I dare say someone has let slip our presence to the Emperor or to Zorzal," Diabo remarked. "Marx, no doubt, that conniving snake." He said that without any real irony, despite his own love of plot and conspiracy.

"Got it in one," Itami said. "Archer's just radioed, apparently Zorzal's on his way with five of his cronies. Pina, we can explain your presence here, but Diabo…"

"Yes, I understand. Zorzal may think we're plotting against him," Diabo said. "What about Lady Tyuule and her consort?"

"Portkey," Harry said. "We'll head to Alnus for now. We wanted to talk to Hodor and Tuka about rebuilding their village, now that the Flame Dragon is dealt with."

* * *

Having arrived at Alnus, Harry and Tyuule walked down the streets of the settlement. "I don't like this, what we heard from Pina about Zorzal's household," Tyuule said quietly.

"Why did you ask if they were mages?"

"Think about it. Malfoy warned us about a possible plot by mages from your world infiltrating this one, to avenge themselves on you. Zorzal would listen to them, especially if they offered a way to deal with you," Tyuule said.

"Shit…and they wouldn't care about plunging Falmart into a state of war," Harry said grimly.

"They'd probably relish in it, and set up Zorzal as their puppet in the aftermath," Tyuule said. She looked back at the base. "While they wouldn't be able to stand against all the armed forces of your world…a small contingent of the JSDF would be easy."

"The problem is, if the Haryo are helping Zorzal…Purebloods tend to hate non-humans too. They wouldn't work together, unless it was temporary."

"That may be all they need. They'd probably try to kill each other once they had what they wanted…but that would mean so many people have died in the process before then." Tyuule scowled. "The problem is, being proactive while the Empire and Japan are moving towards peace talks may disrupt them."

"…Wait," Harry muttered. "I think I may have a solution, a fairly simple one. We do have one possibility to use as a spy, beings that are good at staying hidden until they are needed."

"Hmm?"

"Winky?" Harry called out. The House Elf appeared with a pop in front of him. "Winky…I have a job for you. It's going to be dangerous and difficult, but we need you to do this…"

* * *

Not long afterwards, they were in the tavern Parna ran, the dark-haired Bunny Warrior taking to her new line of work with aplomb. She and another called Griine were tending the bar. Meanwhile, Harry, Tyuule, Luna, Hodor and Tuka were speaking. "We've chosen another site not far from where our old village used to be," Hodor said. "We've already dug another well, and it's giving a good supply of water. We'll be rebuilding there in earnest soon. The JSDF have offered some of their building supplies. Some we have accepted, some we have not. We need only tools and supplies that work with our way of building. As wonderful as some modern amenities are, we have lived our way for a long time without the need to do things the way many Humes do. Your Majesty, I am truly grateful to you to helping our people in their time of need in what ways you could."

"Hodor, that's perfectly fine," Tyuule said. "Your people are always welcome with us. That being said, we'll need to be careful. Zorzal may act against any allies of the JSDF or my people, and that means you may be targets."

"We've known that for some time, Your Majesty," Tuka said quietly. "We know he's the sort not to leave us in peace, despite the fact that we have done little to the Empire. But while we love peace, it doesn't mean we won't fight."

"Good. To be peaceful is laudable. My people are warriors, but we do not seek battles for the sake of slaking a thirst for violence," Tyuule said. "But one must be prepared to fight for what one holds dear."

At that moment, Hermione and Lelei entered. "Harry? Everyone managed to get away from Pina's palace without any hassle. Oddly enough, Private Hitoshi's way of cooking Ma Nuga proved to be a hit with Zorzal. Itami's going to be staying in Sadera for a little while, though. But when he gets back, well…"

"I would like the Third Recon Team, along with anyone else willing, to accompany me to Rondel," Lelei said in her usual quiet monotone. "I have spoken with Master Cato, and we have agreed that I can sit for an assessment to ascend to the rank of Master."

"At your age?" Tyuule asked. "I mean, I'm sure you have the ability, but it's rare for someone your age to ascend to such a rank. Are you prepared for this?"

Lelei nodded.

"Well, I think it's past time I visited Rondel anyway," Tyuule decided. "We generally do not visit there, due to the lack of mages amongst our number. I'll bring the children and either Delilah or Mydia. And maybe we can say hello to your sister, Lelei."

Lelei's mouth just thinned ever so slightly, and Harry knew that this was going to be a somewhat fraught reunion. Hopefully, it wouldn't be anything worse than that…

 **CHAPTER 21 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Yeah, he's just jinxed himself. Next chapter, Rondel!**

 **Now, I'm considering doing a couple of more** ** _GATE_** **fics. Aside from a non-Potterverse crossover, I'm considering a Potterverse crossover, potentially based on my own 'Harry Mercury' challenge, or another one I can adapt. The pairings will probably shape how I do the story, and how old Harry is, but I don't want to do an also-ran of this story. So, I'm going to ask what characters from the following Harry should be paired with. I'm strongly considering Lelei, Delilah (as a main pairing), Yao, Myuute (the Siren girl), Norra/the Piper, or Pina. Leave your comments in the reviews on it, and yes, multiple pairings are allowed, as long as they are of a compatible age (I'm not pairing, say, Delilah, the Piper or Yao with a teenaged Harry).**

 **Review-answering time!** **A Fan** **: I vaguely recall reading somewhere that in fact, the English form of Al Bhed uses Welsh pronunciations for some letters or syllables, though I can't swear to that, as it doesn't say that on the wiki.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


End file.
